Experience of HRT/ Mirena for perimenopause migraine

[Foxglove40]

Hi, I would be grateful for any experiences of having HRT patches and Mirena fitted when you suffer with hormonal migraines.

My menopause symptoms are manageable, but migraines getting increasingly frequent.

Feel like I’ve been slightly railroaded by GP into booking a date for Mirena and worried it’s going to make things much worse as I have a history of being very sensitive to hormone changes.

Any thoughts would be helpful as on the verge of cancelling the Mirena for now.

Has your GP explained the rationale behind this? I'm struggling to see why using the Mirena would help your migraine

It doesn't stop ovulation in most women. It simply stops implantation.

So how is it supposed to help your migraine as it releases a very low level of progestogen and some gets into your blood stream.

Thanks for reply - you’re kind of confirming my confusion! I think the idea is to try and even out the hormonal ‘ups and downs’ during perimenopause that trigger my migraines by giving me a higher dose than I currently get through combined pill.

I feel like I’m going to end up with more side effects from IUD and no guarantee of any improvement in migraine.

Back to GP with more questions I think may be the answer.

haven't used it for migraines but mirena definitely helped perimenopause pmt,think it did even out hormones .

I was slightly confused by your post as I wasn't sure if it was about using HRT OR the Mirena, or the Mirena as part of HRT.

If you have a Mirena fitted you only need estrogen - this can be via a patch, or gel. (Or tablet but not so good.)

Some women do find that controlling their cycles with HRT helps migraine. And the Mirena does give a constant weak dose rather than cyclical types of HRY - so I can see the logic now.

You could give it a whirl for 3- 6 months.

a mirena for HRT/menopause is to counteract any ill effect of any prescribed oestrogen on the uterus

My migraines flared up again horribly a couple of years back, with awful heavy flooding periods and a bonus prize of hot flushes and possible random UTIs

My GP was incredibly helpful, apart from a small disagreement about my blood pressure and a bit of tuttering about the migraines and I now have a new mirena and vagifem and all symptoms apart from the migraines are dealt with!

Migraines seem to be abating, but are changing in that they are more vicious but shorter and more easily got rid of. I've always had quite wide ranging migraines though, so it's different, but not different iyswim.

so to sum up, I am a fan!

Sorry for any confusion - yes it’s Mirena and patch. Interesting that all your symptoms except migraine were helped MsMighty. The other symptoms (night sweats, fatigue etc) I can manage really, it’s the migraines I’d love to be free of after 10 years. I’m 45 soon.

Lots to think about - give it a go, or just address migraines more effectively for now.

@Foxglove40 FWIW I didn't find HRT made my migraines any worse. I've had them all my life and they are triggered by stress, low blood sugar and PMS.

I didn't use HRT for migraine though. I used - and still do- a cyclical sort which mimics a natural cycle rather than the Mirena which I was offered (though not for migraine.)

I'd not anticipate problems because you may be fine.

OR you could try a cyclical type and see if that helps.

At the same time, it sounds as if you ought to be using HRT anyway as at 45 you are on the young side for peri with sweats etc. Drs now think that if periods stop before 51, it's an early-ish menopause (though all the 'old' text books say 45-55 is the age range.)

If your periods stop before 50 you need HRT anyway to protect your bone density and heart.

I don't think anything will get rid of my migraines....unless all my hormones run out completely! And that will probably set them off too.

I seem to have the full set of triggers, food/overtired/stress/hormones, excess noise/light. They go through phases and just as I get to work out what it is or see them coming something will change!

I haven't had a doozy for ages though, the last two have popped up, floored me for a couple of hours and then quickly moved on, so that is a positive ish trend, since at their worst I'd be in bed all day vomiting copiously, taking a day at least to shift that "hangover" feeling

I have outpatients appointment at hospital on the 19th August for cells to be taken from my Womb and I am being encouraged to have the mirena coil fitted at the same time. I have irregular periods and odd days when they are heavy. I can't cope with my mood swings, feeling very low in blood, lethargic, joint and muscle pain, headaches.
Will having the mirena coil help with my symptoms?
Can anyone advise that have had or know some one who has had the mirena coil