Migraine headaches heat up as women approach menopause, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC), Montefiore Headache Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Vedanta Research.
The study was conducted on 3,664 women aged 35 to 65 who experienced migraine before and during their menopausal years. “The risk of high frequency headaches, with 10 days of headache per month, increased by 60 percent in middle-aged women with migraine during the perimenopause – the transitional period into menopause marked by irregular menstrual cycles – as compared to normally cycling women”, said Dr. Martin, the study’s lead author.
The menopausal years include both the perimenopause and menopause. Menopause begins when women have not had a menstrual period for one year. Symptoms such as hot flashes, irritability, depression and insomnia are common during both.
Changes in female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone that occur during the perimenopause might trigger increased headaches during this time. The risk of headache was most apparent during the later stage of the perimenopause, which is a time during which women first begin skipping menstrual periods and experience low levels of estrogen.
Dr. Martin said women who participated in the study also reported that high frequency headaches increased by 76 percent during menopause. However, researchers think that it may not necessarily be the direct result of hormonal changes, but rather due to medication overuse that occurs commonly during this time.
“Women as they get older develop lots of aches and pains, joints and back pain and it is possible their overuse of pain medications for headache and other conditions might actually drive an increase in headaches for the menopause group,” said Dr. Martin.
Source: PR Newswire
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