Balancing Your Hormones To Prevent Headaches

If you're a woman, you're twice as likely to experience migraine headaches as a man. Why such a whopping statistical disadvantage? Research suggests that in many women, migraine headaches are clearly linked to levels of estrogen — the female reproductive hormone that is crucial for a healthy menstrual cycle, cardiovascular and skeletal strength, regular sleep pattern, and many other important functions in a woman's body.

Many women experience a change in their migraine patterns at different times during their monthly cycle or when they undergo menopause. That's because a decrease in estrogen levels, especially a relatively sudden decrease, can trigger a flare-up of headache or migraine symptoms. For this reason, many women experience headache attacks when they stop taking oral contraceptives containing estrogen, or when they undergo the hormonal changes associated with menopause.

Researchers are still not sure precisely how estrogen imbalances trigger headaches in the body. One possible avenue is through estrogen's influence on prostaglandins — local hormones which control inflammation and can make blood vessels contract or expand. Another possibility involves estrogen's affect on chemicals in the brain which help regulate your body's pain response.

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References:

1. Faccinetti F, Martignoni E, Fioroni L, Sances G, Genazzani AR. Opioid control of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis cyclically fails in menstrual migraine.
2. Fettes I. Menstrual migraine. Methods of prevention and control. Postgrad Med 1997;101(5):67-70.
3. Horowski R, Runge I. Possible role of gonadal hormones as triggering factors in migraine. Funct Neurol 1986;1(4):405-414.
4. MacGregor EA. Menstruation, sex hormones, and migraines. Neurol Clin 1997;15(1):125-141.
5. Murray SC, Muse KN. Effective treatment of severe menstrual migraine headaches with gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist and "add-back" therapy. Fertil Steril 1997;67(2):390-3.
6. Silberstein SD. The role of sex hormones in headache. Neurology 1992;42(3 Suppl 2):37-42.
7. Silberstein SD, Merriam GR. Sex hormones and headache. J Pain Symptom Manage 1993;8(2):98-114.

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