QuestionI have had severe headaches for 25 years especially bad 2 weeks before my period. These are daily headaches and none can figure out why. I am 44 and I recently missed a period for 3 1/2 weeks and thought I was pregnant...Low and behold I had NO headache for those 3 1/2 weeks went in for a pregnancy test and was told I was premenapausal. My doctor took hormone tests and said I was premenapausal. Could you tell me what I can do to get my hormone levels back to those levels so my headaches can disappear forever! I never felt better for those 3 weeks! Was it a lower estrogen level or a higher progesterone level?
AnswerDear Judy,
Perimenopause is the stage of a woman's reproductive life that begins several years before menopause, when the ovaries gradually begin to produce less estrogen. It usually starts in a woman's 40s, but can start in the 30s as well. Perimenopause lasts up until menopause, the point when the ovaries stop releasing eggs. In the last one to two years of perimenopause, this decline in estrogen accelerates. At this stage, many women experience menopausal symptoms. The average length of perimenopause is 4 years, but for some women this stage may last only a few months or continue for 10 years. Perimenopause ends the 1st year after menopause (when a woman has gone 12 months without having her period).
You will know you are transitioning into menopause when you begin experiencing some or all of the following symptoms:
-Hot flashes
-Breast tenderness
-Worsening of premenstrual syndrome
-Decreased libido (sex drive)
-Fatigue
-Irregular periods
-Vaginal dryness; discomfort during sex
-Urine leakage when coughing or sneezing
-Urinary urgency (a pressing need to urinate more frequently)
-Mood swings
-Difficulty sleeping
Unfortunately, the lower estrogen level associated with perimenopause is not something that you can speed up. It happens naturally. There is a study out of USC that is looking at preventative care related to breast cancer risks. Many studies have shown that intense exercise can reduce circulating levels of estrogen. Pulling together these lines of evidence, the USC/Norris team theorizes that moderate exercise may reduce breast cancer risk by directly lowering estrogen levels. So that may be something for you to look at to decrease your estrogen levels.
Now, for pre-menopausal women with hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer doctors do prescribe medications to block estrogen receptors in the body (typically Tamoxifen) OR they remove the ovaries all together to decrease estrogen production. However, I'm not sure this would be something that a doctor would do in your situation with hormone-related headaches. It may be more than a doctor would be willing to do - I'm just not sure. You'll really have to talk with your own doctor about the possibilities.
I hope this has helped you and answered your question. As a migraine sufferer myself (injury induced), I understand your frustration and the effect on your daily life. I hope you can find resolution. I wish you well.
Brenda
