Hormone Headache

Hormone headaches are experienced by many women. They are closely related to a woman’s reproductive cycle and sexual hormones. Unbalanced estrogen levels, as well as imbalance of other female hormones are the culprits of hormone headaches. The hormone headaches may be caused by premenstrual syndrome, menopause, and during a woman’s menstrual cycle. They can also be caused by oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and postpartum.

Hormone headaches are often mistaken for migraine headaches, simply because the symptoms are very similar. However, pain is usually only felt on one side of the woman’s head. As with migraines, intense throbbing, nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, sound, and smells may be experienced. A hormone headache may last anywhere from a few hours to a few days, just as migraine headaches do. In many women, hormone headaches are so severe that they can become debilitating, just as migraine headaches are.

The severity of hormone headaches varies from one woman to the next, and often from one headache to the next. Sometimes the pain is minimal, and is described simply as a dull ache. Other times, the pain is so severe it is mistaken for a migraine headache.

It is very easy to confuse a hormone headache with a migraine headache, but women who commonly suffer from premenstrual syndrome generally realize that it is indeed a hormone headache, not a migraine. Other’s who do not often experience hormone headaches will most likely think it is a migraine. Often, doctors confuse hormone headaches with migraine headaches as well, simply because the symptoms are so similar.

However, there is a type of migraine headache, known as a menstrual migraine. This migraine may appear during the second day of menses and last until the menses stops. But, at the same time, this is just another type of hormone headache as well, so the two are basically interchangeable, they usually just have different causes. The treatment, however, is the same.

Because oral contraceptives change the levels of hormones that are produced in the body, they often cause hormone headaches. However, at the same time, oral contraceptives are also commonly used to prevent hormone headaches - again, by changing the hormone levels. What works well for one woman probably won’t work for the next in terms of use of oral contraceptives and hormone headaches.

Hormone headaches frequently appear during the first three months of pregnancy, during the postpartum period, and during the early stages of menopause. Except in the case of pregnancy, these headaches can often be prevented or controlled with medication. Often, when a woman first starts using oral contraceptives, she will experience a hormone headache. The dosage of the oral contraceptive may need to be adjusted by the prescribing doctor. Other times, the headache will go away on its own, as soon as the body adjusts to the oral contraceptive and the change in the hormone levels.

Treatment for hormone headaches should begin at the first sign of the headache for faster results, however, if you commonly experience hormone headaches as a part of premenstrual syndrome, treatment should actually begin a day or two before the premenstrual syndrome is expected to start.

Hormone headaches are treated like most other headaches, but in severe cases, medication may be prescribed by your doctor. Hormone headaches, like other headaches become worse when you are subjected to bright lights, and you should use sunglasses to prevent this. Trigger Optics makes a special type of sunglasses that were designed for headache sufferers. You can learn more at http://www.triggeroptics.com .

If you think you may be experiencing hormone headaches, make sure you visit your doctor to discuss your symptoms and possible treatments that are available to you. The headache may not be a hormone headache at all, it may be a symptom of a more serious condition, and you should speak with your health care provider to be on the safe side.

 

Article Reprinted with Permission in it's entirety