Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)

It is an alternative method to cure the lack of natural hormones in women. In this therapy physician prescribe the alternative artificial hormones. Women who are suffering from menopause - the stage when menstruation stops permanently - are the main targets of the lack of the natural hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. This therapy treats the side effects caused by the lack of hormones. These effects include hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and other symptoms related to menopause.

Migraine and Hormone Connection

Women are three times more commonly affected by migraine than the men. Migraine can be caused by hormonal fluctuations such as menarche, menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, use of oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy. Decrease in the estrogen amount occurring just before the menstrual bleeding is the major reason for the migraine in women. The migraine can be seen in the girls those first begin menstruating.

Normally, all women experience the migraine during the first few days of the menstrual cycle. In some women migraine attack is increased when they start taking the oral contraceptive pills that are used in birth control. The HRT drugs such as pills, transdermal patches/gels, subcutaneous implants or injections, and vaginal suppositories can increase and even worsen the migraine most of the times.

Treatment

In the postmenopausal women, the dosage of the estrogen replacement drug like a 100-mcg transdermal estradiol patch can effectively reduce the migraine. Some times the HRT therapy may increase the migraine instead of reducing it. In that case proper dosage can be helpful. Main remedy for the migraine is to decrease the estrogen amount as an alternative drug. Other strategies may include change in estrogen preparation such as natural instead of synthetic or vice versa, applying continuously rather than cyclically in case of heavy withdrawal of estrogen amount and use of estrogen patches which provide uniform levels.

Menstrual-migraine can be cured using triptans. These drugs are non steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. These should be taken in the early stages of migraine attack and if needed repeatedly. Stabilization hormone may also effective in treating the migraine. During menopause, migraine can be treated using the continuous estrogen replacement. It should be lowest. Synthetic estrogens and skin patches can be more effective than the products containing Premarin.