Migraine increase and perimenopause

[CinnamonRedwing]

Just wondering if anyone has noticed a link between migraine with visual disturbance & peri/menopause?

I have suffered for years with migraines (both with and without aura). The ones without the aura I can cope with. My medication is pretty good & does the job. My issue is with the ones with aura.

Since adulthood, I've averaged about 1 every 3 years. I hate them because the visual disturbance is so debilitating, but I can deal with only getting them relatively rarely.

In the last 3 months, however, I have had 2 per month & suspect they are hormone related. They are absolutely cracking me up & I'm so stressed about it all.

My GP wasn't the best when I suggested I thought it was maybe perimenopause related...She increased my preventative meds but I've had another 2 since then.

Any advice appreciated!

I didn't pick up on it at the time, but my migraines increased in peri then decreased after menopause.
I'm sure there was a hormonal aspect at play.

Mine increased during perimenopause and then decreased somewhat when I went into HRT. I still get them but sumatriptan has been a game changed for me. As soon as they start I take one tablet and it gets rid of it or shortens it post sleep

I started to get them in my Kate 40’s but they stopped when I went in hrt.

I was like you OP, I had aura migraines rarely until peri when they increased to up to two a week sometimes - it's a complete PITA. Starting HRT helped a lot for the first year or so but then they came back again. I suspect my HRT needs tweaking again and awaiting on GP appt. You have my sympathy - aura migraines are horrible and freak me out every time I have one 😩

I suspect this is me, too.

No other peri symptoms but am around the right age and my migraines with aura have ramped up hugely in past six months. Have gone from having one a month at most to sometimes 2-3 in a week (including one episode of four auras back to back over four hours, ugh).

I actually mostly just get the aura - one in every few I get a headache too. Mostly it’s just like a mild hangover.

Have had an MRI to rule out anything nasty, which fortunately came back ok.

I had my first ever aura migraine roundabout the same time as I started perimenopause (nearly 7 years ago). Very scary the first time - thought I was going blind!

Had quite a lot at first (every month, sometimes weekly) but now I'm getting closer to the menopause I haven't had any for many months. The coincidence of the timing of onset of auras and peri convinces me that in my case, they're hormone related.

I don't take any meds and over the years I discovered that if I got an aura migraine, if I focus on reading something (as hard as that is with zig zag blotchy colours everywhere!) the aura quickly goes in minutes, whereas before they usually lasted for half an hour or more.

I have migraines with auras - mine first started when I was a teenager and are very much hormone linked. I'm 44 and have seen an increase recently, I had been having them every 3-4 months and am currently having a couple a month sometimes more, fairly convinced its a sign of peri.

@imSatanhonest - oof reading with an aura is literally the worst thing I can do makes me feel so much worse.

Definitely hormone-related, I was getting them with increased frequency even on daily beta blockers. Went back on the cerelle mini pill and haven't had one for 5 years.

Thanks everyone. Nice to know I'm not alone but definitely feel all your pain. They're so debilitating!!! Hate them.

Did anyone get any joy with a GP acknowledging the link between peri & migraine? Or get any blood tests etc for it?

I feel like the Dr isn't particularly interested in identifying the root cause of the increase & is more just about treating them or upping the preventatives. The next step will likely be amitryptaline & I'm very wary of that...

OP I would be wary of amitriptyline too - I took it for migraine prevention and whilst I think it did help a bit with the headaches, it didn't do anything to help the auras, which were/are the part that I hate the most. Amitriptyline also made me feel really groggy, made my hands shaky and also caused weight gain.

My aura migraines went from 4-5 times a year to one a month or more. I went to the GP and she went through an assessment for perimenopause with me. I'm 43. She said this was common in perimenopause and suggested I try starting the mini pill first and if that didn't work she would start me on HRT. I was really surprised to be honest.

The mini pill stopped the migraines being so frequent and I have only had two in the last six months.

this was/ is the same for me . In addition the severity of the migraine has lessened over time the closer I got towards menopause .

That's very good to know. I know it's a legitimate preventative but there's something that bothers me about taking an anti-depressant when I'm not depressed...

Was that the progesterone only pill? So did your Dr think it was a decrease in Prog? I assumed it was a dip in estrogen causing it? I'm 43 too

Your GP might not be well-informed, but it is a well-known issue:

migrainetrust.org/migraine-and-perimenopause/

I suffered with migraines when I was in my teens. They came back during every pregnancy. And then when I (suspected) was peri. I only suspected after a woman was talking about it and I overhead. I had the most debilitating migraines for months.
I rang the GP and booked a phone appointment. She thought I may be too young for HRT. I was insistent and said I want to try it. If it didn’t help so be it.
GP agreed to try as it sounded hormone related and as soon as I started taking it they stopped. I get the occasional headache now but I haven’t had a migraine in a year.

Mini pill was definitely the answer for me as for other poster here.

Just for anyone that doesn’t know, people with aura migraines shouldn’t take the combined pill as there’s increased risk of stroke

Mini pill was/is also the answer for me too. Definitely worth a try, it has changed my life.

I was told this too. I came off the pill because of head aches. I’m now 42 and peri and getting head aches a lot more often, I’m just getting over a 2 day migraine.

That's a really good article - thanks very much

Really interesting to read about the mini-pill. I'm definitely going to raise the hormonal link again with the Dr at my upcoming appointment. I felt a bit fobbed off last time but it's a different Dr so I'll see how I get on.

The mini pill being progesterone only and the combined pill having both oestrogen and progesterone perhaps is the difference. My experience was that at 44 I was getting migraines more and more despite beta blockers. It got to a point where I was having. 2-3 a week regularly. As you'll know it's not just having the migraine and the after effects which is pretty horrible but it's the lack of control over your life because you never know when you will have to put everything on hold and just go to bed. Honestly, the Cerelle mini pill gave me my life back, I haven't had a migraine for about 3 years and have completely forgotten about them. I kept a migraine diary and noticed that I was getting more on a monthly basis and when I went to the GP I showed them this and said that I wanted to go on the mini pill because it has worked for me before pregnancy.

I would just mention that I had more success with the mini pill as a preventative rather than triptans etc to treat the migraine once it had been triggered. Triptans made me feel really odd and spaced oiut and still has a post-migraine hangover.