With the onset of the climatic period, the life of every woman undergoes many changes. Moreover, their character, as a rule, is purely negative. An extensive set of ailments is associated with a massive rearrangement of the hormonal background in combination with the inevitable extinction of the reproductive system. Menopause headaches are one of the most common symptoms at this stage in a woman’s life. Excessively strong and frequent discomfort in the cranial zone impedes the conduct of daily activities, taking away all forces and exhausting the energy reserves of the body.
Features of the period
Changes in the mode of functioning and the restructuring of a number of systems begin in women, usually after reaching the age of forty-five, however, in exceptional cases, menopause occurs after thirty years. First of all, there is a complete halt in the production of new eggs, and menstruation also completely disappears.
Such symptoms are most often perceived by a woman as some serious disease. Nevertheless, official medicine has exactly the opposite opinion on this matter. Doctors believe that menopause is not some kind of ailment, but simply one of the essential stages of life for the fair sex. But at the same time, one should not dutifully endure discomfort. The treatment of headaches with menopause today is well established and in any case brings results after intervention in this age process.
The main reasons for the appearance
It is usually required to wait until the period of menopause is complete. Changes in the body will end only with the complete extinction of ovarian function. It can be said that pain and malaise are to some extent normal side effects of menopause.
Experts compiled a list, including the main reasons for which there are negative symptoms during menopause. This list includes the eight most common options presented below.
- The use of any hormonal drugs, as well as combined oral contraceptives.
- Maintaining an overall unhealthy lifestyle. Includes smoking, drug addiction, alcoholism and overeating (malnutrition).
- Chronic diseases and pathologies of a neuropsychiatric nature, which can sharply aggravate during menopause.
- The presence of a genetic predisposition. When complaining of headaches with menopause in women, a similar nuance must be specified during the initial medical history.
- Too frequent eating of harmful and substandard food products, a low culture of the food intake process, and the lack of a more or less stable daily routine.
- Reduced estrogen in the body. This factor is caused by the occurrence of certain processes with menopause. Because of this, the walls of blood vessels lose their former level of elasticity, and during tides their sharp narrowing and expansion are observed.
- The altered muscle and bone structure appears due to the low production of collagen, because estrogen is not enough in the body. In addition to severe headache with menopause, noticeable disturbances in posture, as well as increased tension in the cervical and spinal muscles, can be noted. All of these factors are considered interrelated.
- An unstable state of the psyche and emotional background. High neurotic activity, in turn, causes depressive moods, thereby worsening well-being even more.
If any of the above factors is present, it is highly likely that stopping the pain with standard painkillers without treating the causes of the ailments is unlikely to succeed.
Symptoms and features of the condition
It is important to separate the symptoms that are most likely caused precisely by the restructuring of the body during menopause from others, often indicating the development of some other pathologies. The combination of several nuances of malaise should immediately indicate the presence of a serious problem, which is best to go for a specialized examination.
Symptoms of a headache with menopause may include the following variations:
- a sharp and often sudden onset of an uncomfortable state with localization in the temples, which gradually flows to the entire surface of the forehead;
- a rapidly developing increase in irritability, a feeling of tension in the cervical and shoulder parts, as well as a face distorted by a painful grimace;
- palpable bursting in the frontal region with the possible appearance of severe burning;
- cramping or pulsating characters of the pain syndrome with likely acute attacks that literally "cut" the head, as well as the development of such discomfort in migraines;
- darkening in the eyes, combined with severe heaviness in the occipital region;
- unbearable pain in the temples, causing nausea and vomiting;
- the emergence of a feeling of irresistible fear for no apparent reason to panic, as well as the appearance of a persistent “coma” in the throat;
- at times the pain is not too strong, but permanent and debilitating in nature.
Concomitant symptoms
In addition to the main characteristic signs, a woman during menopause is often accompanied by some additional ones. Their list is given below.
- Partial disruption of the genitourinary system. It is expressed in the form of too frequent urge to visit the toilet.
- Emotional instability, constant mood swings and permanent irritation. These symptoms are secondary signs of the climacteric state of the body. Usually accompanied by the appearance of unjustified panic and disturbing thoughts. Due to the strong excitability, it is difficult to maintain a normal sleep and wakefulness regime.
- Hot flashes with menopause and headache are directly related to each other. This condition is characterized by a sharp change in sensations throughout the body - from unbearable heat to icy cold. All this is certainly accompanied by pain in the head.
- Differences in blood pressure are also characteristic of the menopause. The reasons for this phenomenon lie in the instability of the state of the whole organism due to its continuous and intensive restructuring. In turn, sharp jumps in blood pressure cause those same headaches and other uncomfortable sensations in the body.
Concomitant symptoms are quite simple to muffle or completely nullify with the help of timely medical therapy.
Symptoms of other diseases
Sometimes women take the signs of any pathologies that do not belong to the menopause for granted, and wait for them to pass along with everyone else. However, without taking appropriate measures, such a decision can not only worsen the state of life, but also harm in a certain way.
The list of symptoms with which a woman urgently needs to go to the hospital to stabilize the body and prevent further damage includes the following:
- complete or partial loss of olfactory and taste sensations;
- any manifestations associated with deterioration of the visual apparatus;
- complete or partial loss of sensation in one or several limbs at once;
- noise in the head of any unknown origin combined with loss of coordination;
- severe ringing in the ears, the source of which cannot be determined.
If, along with headaches with menopause, one or more of the listed symptoms is found, then immediately seeking medical help will be the most optimal solution to the situation.
How do specialists treat
The problem lies primarily in the fact that ordinary antispasmodics can not cope with the symptoms of ailments during menopause. This happens for one simple reason: the effect of this group of drugs has no effect on the essence of this condition, that is, on the hormonal changes in the woman’s body. Treatment of headaches with menopause begins with a trip to the doctor, who, on the basis of anamnesis and analyzes, will be able to choose the optimal composition of funds for regulating and restoring balance.
Hormonal malfunctions can be corrected, and most likely you will need to take medications exactly until the menopause has passed, and the body cannot independently stabilize its condition. Even if a woman’s menopause causes headaches too strong, in no case should the dosage be changed up or down, because this action often leads to an even more pronounced deterioration in overall health.
Medication treatment
In this option, simple and strict adherence to the recommendations of specialists and the purchase of all prescribed drugs in a pharmacy is enough. Given that ailments are always associated in such a situation with a hormonal imbalance, doctors without fail prescribe funds aimed at correcting this problem. Treatment of the root cause of headaches with menopause shows the greatest effectiveness. The most commonly prescribed courses are Svestina, Proginova, or Divigel. In addition, funds like Norkolut, Divina, Angelika, and Femoston may be prescribed. In the composition of the latter, the necessary for the woman’s body menopause are androgens, progesterones and estrogens.
There is also another drug that has received many positive reviews. Headaches with menopause were relieved by the drug "Ovestin", which acted as a regulator of the activity of the hormone estrogen. However, in some cases, doctors decide not to prescribe the above drugs. They are replaced with non-hormonal drugs with vitamins and phytoestrogens in the composition. As alternative options, official medicine involves the use of antipsychotics, psychotropic stimulants, tranquilizers, and even homeopathic medicines. The result of treatment is evaluated, as a rule, after a full course of therapy.
Traditional medicine methods
At times, even doctors are not opposed to a woman using certain unorthodox methods that will not harm, but can help accelerate the healing process. Of course, traditional medicine is supposed only as an auxiliary method in the complex of all that to relieve headache with menopause. The correct dosage is also required here.
A simple fresh herbal tea with the addition of a couple of drops of lemon juice and a small amount of natural honey has proven itself perfectly. Among other ingredients, raspberry leaves, mint, oregano, St. John's wort, sage and nettle may be present. The very first tea is made on the basis of any three of the given components. After it is desirable to brew a drink based on another set of ingredients.
In addition, traditional medicine has another answer to how to treat a headache with menopause. You will need to brew all the same herbal tea, but now alternate its intake with a drink based on rose hips and lingonberries. Such actions will contribute to an invigorating and analgesic effect at the same time. Various decoctions, for example, from oats, chamomile, linden or lemon balm, help well from headaches. Nevertheless, you should not try everything all at once; you need a consistent approach and an assessment of effectiveness at all stages of treatment.
Lifestyle and nutrition
Constant ailments in the head are often associated with a violation of the regime of food intake and the presence of one or more bad habits. Heavy and fatty foods, excessive salt and hot spices and preservatives in combination with many chemical additives provoke extreme discomfort during the menopause period. It is worth revising your daily diet, but keep in it the presence of all important trace elements and vitamins.
With menopause, headaches are also from the complete absence of any physical exertion. However, one should not engage in excessive heavy exercises. A minimal program is usually sufficient, including dancing, yoga, swimming or morning jogging. The main rule is that such loads should be fun and not be a burden. Thus, a woman will be able to protect herself from additional stress, take control of her emotional background and get rid of bouts of nervousness and panic attacks. Menopause headaches can decrease or disappear altogether even from simple regular walks in the fresh air.
Preventive measures and tips
Preventive opportunities to prevent harmful effects during the restructuring of the body are quite banal, but no less effective. It is imperative to observe a daily regimen in which there are no excessive loads, or too long periods of laziness. The treatment of symptoms of headache with menopause can be carried out by regulating the level of blood pressure and massage the forehead, neck and temples. Doctors have proven that positive emotions contribute to a speedy recovery and getting rid of various ailments. In this situation, such a statement is more than fair and will undoubtedly work in practice.
Many women over the age of forty know firsthand what kind of headaches with menopause can be. Of course, every representative of the fair sex will have to survive this stage, but if you want, you can try to delay it for several years. It is enough to observe the above preventive measures, because they, among other things, contribute to the rejuvenation and strengthening of all body structures. The lifestyle that is closest to the correct one will best help to quickly “slip through” a difficult period and, most likely, even without the need to seek help from specialists.