Hi all! I've been diagnosed with chronic migraines since I was a teen and more recently with PCOS . I'm having terrible hormonal migraines constantly!!! I recently told I have a hormonal imbalance in that my progesterone is far too low and my estrogen is normal (so I have estrogen dominance) which is likely to be causing the migraines to be so terrible.
Has anyone else experienced a similar hormonal imbalance and migraines. If so please can you let me know your experience and anything that helped you?
I have chronic migraines with the worst ones being related to my period. I've never had my hormones looked at though. I had very bad migraines all way through both pregnancies though as well. I'm now on the combined pill which I don't come off so I don't have periods which is helping a lot. I had tried this method though in the past and it hadn't changed my migraines. This time I wanted to stop my periods bc I was getting such bad IBS after them as well as the migraines and for some reason this time it has helped my migraines. I'm now on a CGRP self injector as well which has made the most difference overall.
thank you for replying! I'm actually on waiting list for CGRP inhibitor and have head great things so I'm hopeful! Periods really do cause so many symptoms!!
Periods are awful they can just dominate our lives. I found I had about a week off a month with all pre, during and after migraines and IBS. Hopefully you'll get the CGRP soon and that you'll be a responder (Fingers crossed!!) It's certainly helped me.
My daughter has had severe migraines most of her life with different triggers; one of them being hormonal - she knows the "ice-pick" stab over her left eye is related to hormones - they became more severe after having her first child and her hormones were well below normal levels. She has found the birth control injection taken every 3 months to be the most effective - eliminating her hormone related migraines. It will flare up near the time of her next injection. As far as treating her other migraine triggers she takes topomax and phenergan, fioircet, imitrex and the monthly Emgality injection. She first tried Aimovig but found that Emgality worked better for her. Botox really worked well but her insurance will not cover Botox and Emgality. Best of luck to you!
thank you so much for this extensive reply! I'm glad your daughter has found some ways to help! it means a lot that you took the time to write this back- shall look into these options!
Lara Briden talks here about oestrogen dominance and treating with micronised progesterone and some other natural treatments. So sorry that you are suffering. Hoping this is of help. All the best
Yes, I had them in my late 20s and early 30s and I was having headaches all month then a massive migraine during periods and could have lost my job because migraines aren't taken seriously by workplaces. Tried a few things but the thing that saved me was going on the pill, progestogen-only pill, and voila, no more periods, no more hormonal migraines, changed my life.
I'm honestly so glad for you and totally agree! migraines are really stigmatised and people really don't understand how severe they can be...really impacting my life right now! About to try to progesterone only pill tomorrow so we shall see
A lady called edin360 i think , contacted me to say my story sounded like hers , shed had her ovaried removed at 53 and is now 56 , she paid to see a Professor Anne McGregor in london(i googled and shes not accepting new patients til September as in New Zealand with family probs) she was given progesterone tablets and has been pain free for 4 months. Im more hopeful than I have been since I heard of ajovy. Ajovy and botox didnt touch my pain whatsoever. Am so sick of all tests being “normal” makes you feel like you’re imagining it. Good Luck 🤞🏻
I know right! And the doctors think it's all in your head! I've just started progesterone today so will let you know how I get on, sorry you're experiencing this too!
Who gave you the progesterone? My gp refused til neuro gives go ahead and hes on two wks annual leave! Are u in uk? And are u a mature lady like myself? Fingers crossed for you im very interested in how you get on .
my gynaecologist gave it to me, my neurologist doesn't seem to believe me when I tell him about the hormonal connection. I've been under the care of gyno since 2017 and have period problems since puberty- honestly they have fobbed me off so much! They kept telling me a progesterone test didn't exist until one doctor did a day 21 progesterone test on me and found my levels were far too low (i'm in my 20s) so now they've finally let me try something after 4 years!! maybe you could ask your GP to be referred to a gynaecologist ? and yep I'm in the Uk! let me know how you get on too!
Doh! Why didnt I think of this! Ive just retired (forced by this ) early at 59 . Ive spent 26 years working alongside gynaecologists as I worked maternity services and obstetrics and gynae is same docs! Seeing Neuro on 29.7 so I shall see what he says. Id live to see this professor in london too but dont want to wait til September. I score my pain daily its permanent between 5-9. Out of ten. Utter torture. But i can function below a 7. Keep me posted .
also I think it's interesting because a lot of doctors prescribe a bunch like amitriptyline, propranolol, topiramate and all haven't worked on me- I think the hormonal connection is really underestimated especially if someone has a hormonal issue/imbalance somehow, so certainly something to look into. really sorry you're struggling, migraines are awful and stopping my life! hoping for the best for us both!
Ive always bn very hormonal, weepy around period times very headachey all my life. Migraines in pregnancy etc. Starting to make sense now. Has to be hormonal. Propranolol and amitriptyline worked well for me for ten years. But i gradually became more and more sluggish in the mornings. One of reasons I retired was i couldnt cope with earlies and they wouldnt give me a background of nites or lates. When the propranolol and amitriptyline stopped working gradually over an 18 month period i was taken off them. When they had been out of system for almost a year- ping! Wide awake and raring to go at 7 am! Am finally getting excited the end may be in sight. Last October i was actually getting envious of terminally ill patients as they know the end would come which sounds dramatic but thats how ill i was . And everyone that knows me thinks im not lazy or a wuss . Haha after cefaly i think im a pain ninja. Thank god for these sites and migraine trust that put me onto this.
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