There are two people close to me in my life who have suffered terribly with migraines during their perimenopausal years.
My sister has always had migraines, but since she has entered perimenopause, they seem hormonally linked to her (now irregular) periods. These are the kinds of headaches that sometimes respond to her medication and other times do not. They can last a day or two, and leave her feeling hungover when they're gone. She has three small children, so cocooning in a dark, quiet room isn't really an option for her.
And my best friend never had migraines until perimenopause, but once she started, they have come furiously and (very often) close together. It's not uncommon for her to have several horrible migraine headaches in a month. She has been working with her doctor (and with various specialists) for more than two years now, but still feels like it's a rare 10 days that go by without a migraine. She keeps a migraine journal, watches what she eats, works out, has medicine and has tried various forms of natural remedies (acupuncture, for instance), but has not found the key to keeping them at bay.
Discovery Health offers this:
"Migraine headaches have an unusual relationship to the menopausal transition. Some women who have suffered with migraines their whole life find they no longer have them when they reach this phase, while other women who have never had migraines begin to have them during perimenopause."
And the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke adds this:
"The relationship between female hormones and migraine is still unclear. Women may have "menstrual migraine" - headaches around the time of their menstrual period - which may disappear during pregnancy. Other women develop migraine for the first time when they are pregnant. Some are first affected after menopause. The effect of oral contraceptives on headaches is perplexing. Scientists report that some women with migraine who take birth control pills experience more frequent and severe attacks. However, a small percentage of women have fewer and less severe migraine headaches when they take birth control pills. And normal women who do not suffer from headaches may develop migraines as a side effect when they use oral contraceptives. Investigators around the world are studying hormonal changes in women with migraine in the hope of identifying the specific ways these naturally occurring chemicals cause headaches."
So I guess we wait. If you have dealt with perimenopausal migraines, how do you cope?
All user-generated information on this site is the opinion of its author only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. Members and guests are responsible for their own posts and the potential consequences of those posts detailed in our Terms of Service.
Add a Comment24 Comments
I also had an absolutely awful time with migraines as the perimenopause set in. I know take Candesartan 3 x per day 4mg as a preventative and it has made a massive improvement to the frequency and severity of the migraines. Good luck.
March 22, 2017 - 6:03amThis Comment
Were they hormonal? Mine are 100% at ovulation and period every single month. Were yours?
May 21, 2017 - 9:44amThis Comment
Hi I am 44 and i am getting migraines just before my period start which last 2 - 3 days and awful nausea, i get very drained and find it hard to work some months also get a funny taste in my mouth. I did visit my doctor when they started about 18mth ago she said i needed to keep a diary of when they were happening to try and establish a cause, this was when I noticed it was just before period started. They then stopped for a while, but back in full swing now, some months worse than others. I suffer with Migraine on a normal basis (usually stress related) but i can treat these with ibuprofen and usually sleep and they ease, but the premenstrual headaches wont shift with any medication or sleep, just have to run their course. I have decided to keep some records from this month to look at other triggers at least then if I go back to the GP they will have all the information and cant send me away again. I dont think I can cope with losing 2-3 days of every month for the next so many years waiting for the menopause to happen.
November 4, 2011 - 2:01amThis Comment
Thankfully in my perimenopause, I am experiencing far fewer occular migraines than I did when I was menstruating regularly. I don't believe they changed much when I was on the pill, but when I was on the nuva ring i had a TIA. The Pill is definitely related to a higher incidence in TIA and PRinzmetal Angina, which is Vessel spasm of the heart muscle- not unlike what happens during a migraine. I can say that they were definitely a premenstrual thing for me when I was a young mother in my twenties, and thereafter, but at 45 now I only get them occasionally.
November 2, 2011 - 6:31pmThis Comment
I just turned 43 and thought that I was the only woman with these issues until I logged on here, so thank you to all of you for your comments. My migraines are killing me, it seems that three out of the four weeks in a month I am dealing with morning migraines that last all day. I know that I am in perimenopause because all the symptoms are there. I am going to see a gynecologist for some answers because being stupid, I haven't seen mine in awhile. My mother had breast cancer at age fifty and I wondered if I could still be placed on estrogen replacement due to her having had estrogen fed cancer. I did have a mammogram two years ago and am going for another soon, I wondered how a doctor determines if you have low estrogen and if a replacement would help my perimenopause and my migraines. Thank you for any help you can offer!
May 21, 2011 - 8:01amThis Comment
I am 48 and perimenopausal. I never had a migraine until my hormones started to change; now I get 6 or so migraines per month. They are obviously linked to hormonal change because I am having 6 or so periods each month too! A compounding factor is altitude; I live at 6,000 feet and never have had a migraine at sea level. My doctor prescribed Yaz to normalize my periods, but i went off after three months because I am skeptical of the dangerous side effects of Yaz. Fortunately imitrex is usually effective during a migraine episode, and I am looking forward to menopause!
September 26, 2010 - 4:40pmThis Comment
I am 38 years old and have had hemiplegic migraines with an aura since I was diagnosed with them at age 10. I have had one of these severe migraines about every two years up until last May when I began having them more regularly. I've had 9 migraines since last May, and that was right about the time I began to have irregularities in my cycles. In June and July of last year, I only had mild spotting that could not really constitute a period before I returned to my regular cycles. My cycle has been 24 days apart like clockwork since I had a tubal ligation 9 years ago. In May and June of this year, I had no period to speak of, not even any menstrual symptoms. In July, I spotted for about 3-5 days, and then had a 10 day long period beginning July 19. Then, on Aug 13, I had a severe migraine that continues to linger today as a dull ache at the base of my skull and my neck. Nothing seems to relieve it. To top it off, I started my period on Aug. 29, thirteen days late based on my calculations from July, and I am still going strong today, Sept. 13, heavy at times, with no sign of stopping. That's a 15 day period. I'm going crazy and have put a call into my gynecologist today. He is aware of my numerous complaints, and based on some of my other symptoms, and that fact that my mother started perimenopause at age 39 and had finished having a menstrual cycle by age 45, he believes I may be starting perimenopause myself. My question is, could this chronic migraine be connected to this never ending period???? This migraine started right about the time I should have ovulated. Has anyone else had a similar experience, and what are some relief methods? I am taking Maca root, which is supposed to relieve perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms and I changed my multivitamin to Estroven, a non-estrogen ginkgo biloba, which is supposed to restore your natural estrogen levels. I'm already on Imitrex for the migraines, but it does not seem to be working this time. Any other suggestions?
September 13, 2010 - 11:56amThis Comment
Have you discussed Diamox or other preventative meds for migraines? I did not tolerate this med well but many people do, adn it can help prevent migraines. Ask your doc.
September 26, 2010 - 4:42pmThis Comment
Hi Hays13,
September 13, 2010 - 1:17pmThanks for your question, and sorry for your troubles with migraine. A fellow HerWriter recently posted an article about dealing with migraines. Hope it helps:
https://www.empowher.com/migraine/content/ten-ways-relieve-pain-migraines?page=0,0
Here also is an article by a fellow HerWriter about the migraine and perimenopause connection:
https://www.empowher.com/community/share/migraines-and-perimenopause
Before starting any treatment, it may be a good idea to check it out with a doctor to make sure you don't cause any conflicts with the treatment you are currently receiving. Here is drug information for Imitrex that may give more info, in particular, it states that it may not work well with other medications and treatments:
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/sumatriptan-succinate-0
Good luck and let us know what your doctor says at your next appointment. Your experience may help someone else.
This Comment
You had me at "...is this another of the delightful manifestations that occur during this wonderful phase of life?!" and I empathize with and echo "I just want my life back." I recently turned 39 and haven't had children. After many visits with my general practitioner and ob/gyn, I've now escalated concerns about hormone related migraines to a neurologist. Over the past 5 years, I've trialed ibuprophen, tylonal, different forms of birth control as HRT, a beta blocker, amerge and recently supplemented omega 3&6, multi-vitamin, and calcium & vitamin D with 400 mg of B2 plus 500 mg of magnesium citrate. While a continuous daily dose of Low Ogestrel and the vitamin regimon seems to be minimizing symptoms of peri-menopause, the migraines haven't subsided. Periodically Amerge will reduce the severity, but results are random. I've been experiencing perimenopause symptoms (as listed on webmd and mayoclinic sites) for 5 years, although no doctor has labelled me with it. Instead they've each suggested I get pregnant as it could 'reset' my hormones and eliminate the migraines. Anyone experience success with this? The odds of that being possible seem slim given what I've read about perimenopause. But what if I did get pregnant, and the migraines continued. That seems unfair to a child. I feel like life is passing me by, and find it difficult to accept that with all the advancments and accomplishments in medicine, no team of doctors can recommend a viable solution that works.
March 19, 2010 - 9:07pmThis Comment