Hormonal headaches can feel impossible to manage on your own. The pain can be shocking and if you’re experiencing these headaches at the same point in your cycle every month, you may really dread that time when you’re closer to menstruating. Revive Medical Center has some information about hormonal headaches that can help you to understand what you’re experiencing and why.
Changes in Estrogen and Progesterone Levels Affect Head Pain
As the name implies, hormonal headaches are caused by changes in hormone levels. In women, progesterone and estrogen are the hormones that are creating the problem in hormonal headaches. While those hormone levels change, they cause issues elsewhere, including in other chemicals that control the sensations you feel as pain.
When Do Those Changes Happen?
There are plenty of different types of hormonal fluctuations that can lead to hormonal headaches. The menstrual cycle itself is just one of those fluctuations and it happens monthly. If you find that you tend to get headaches before or during your period, those are likely hormonal headaches. Other times you might experience this type of headache include during pregnancy, during perimenopause, during menopause, or while you’re taking oral contraceptive pills.
Heredity Can Play a Role in Hormonal Headaches
If you’ve got family members who have had trouble with hormonal headaches in the past, you may be more likely to experience this type of headache, too. The key is to recognize that these are hormonal headaches, which can sometimes be difficult to put together. But there are other contributing factors to hormonal headaches as well. If you’re not getting enough rest or your diet is less than healthy, you may be contributing to hormonal changes that cause headaches.
What Can You Do about Hormonal Headaches?
Over-the-counter medications can help, but there are also other options. Make sure that you’re drinking plenty of water and eating healthy meals regularly as a preventative action. It’s also important to make sure that you’re getting rest as often as you should. Gentle movement and massage may help as well. Another option is chiropractic care to help ease hormonal headaches.
You don’t have to face the pain of hormonal headaches on your own. Contact us today at Revive Medical Center in Lawrenceville, GA. We can help you to understand what is causing your headaches and put together a plan to help you to feel better, whether the cause is hormonal or something else altogether.