The relationship between headaches and hormone imbalance can be seen in women who suffer from hormonal headaches. This type of malady are experienced as migraine and only affects women. Migraine headaches affect both men and women, but seventy percent of migraine sufferers are women. Furthermore, an estimated sixty to seventy percent of these women experience migraines due to hormonal headache causes. The condition often occurs during the menstrual cycle of a women and is caused by the reduction of estrogen and progesterone levels, two common female hormones. Women who commonly experience migraines have reported that the condition does not appear while pregnant. It is through this connection that researchers were able to discover the hormonal headache causes. Women who have reached menopause have discovered that the decrease in estrogen may lead to increased hormonal imbalance headaches. In addition, the hormonal imbalance headaches may occur when estrogen and progesterone levels are elevated. Users of birth control pills report a higher percentage of non-users due to the rise in hormone levels.

Hormonal headaches symptoms are the same signs that are experienced with migraine headaches. These headaches are characterized by an intense pain that may be pounding or throbbing, usually felt at the side of the head, near a person’s temple. In addition, the pain can be felt in the forehead, the back of the head, or in the area around the eyes. Migraines generally alternate from one side of the head to the other and a person that always feels migraines on only one side should report the condition to a local physician as it may be indicative of a more serious underlying condition. Normal activities such as climbing stairs may increase the pain felt during a migraine. In addition to the pain, other hormonal headaches symptoms may happen at the same time. Patients frequently report the following symptoms that occur simultaneously with migraines: nausea, diarrhea, cold hands or feet, vomiting, paling of the face, or an increased sensitivity to sound of light. For about half of migraine sufferers, a warning of the onset of the headache may be present in the form of depression or euphoria.

Some women have found relief by using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to reduce the frequency of migraine headaches experienced during menstrual cycles. A woman who wishes to try this method should take the pills 2-3 days before the onset of the menstrual cycle and continue taking the medications until the cycle is over. For more serious cases, other prescription medications are available to deal with the condition. Beta-blocker drugs, anticonvulsants, calcium channel blockers, and ergotamine drugs have proven to be effective in many situations. They should be taken in the same manner, 2-3 days before the menstrual cycle. If hormonal headaches are experienced by a woman who is pregnant, these medications should not be taken as they may be dangerous to the unborn child. Headaches and hormone imbalance can be difficult for women to deal with, but by being proactive, a woman may be able to avoid the problem of hormonal headaches during the menstrual cycle.