---
title: Does migraine increase during menopause, and can hormone therapy help?
description: Women who had PMS before menopause are more likely to experience increased migraine during the menopausal transition. Continuous hormone replacement therapy,
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/migraine-in-perimenopausal-women-2015/
---

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- Does migraine increase during menopause, and can hormone therapy help?

Survey study, 2015

# Does migraine increase during menopause, and can hormone therapy help?

Women who had PMS before menopause are more likely to experience increased migraine during the menopausal transition. Continuous hormone replacement therapy, particularly using skin patches or gels, may help prevent hormone-related migraine attacks.

 Early or limited evidence

Women in the perimenopausal period (narrative review, not a specific study population)

## What they did

The author reviewed existing knowledge about migraine occurrence during the menopausal transition and discussed the use of hormone replacement therapy. This was not a clinical trial but a narrative review of existing research.

## What they found

Hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle influence migraine occurrence and intensity. Women who had PMS before menopause are more likely to have increased migraine during late menopausal transition. Continuous hormone replacement therapy, especially skin patches and estradiol gels rather than oral pills, helps prevent sudden estrogen drops and related migraine attacks. Natural menopause is associated with lower migraine rates than surgical menopause.

## What it means for you

If you had PMS or migraine before menopause, you may experience increased migraine during menopause. Hormone therapy given continuously without breaks, particularly via skin patches or gels, may help prevent migraine attacks. Findings are based on expert review of existing research rather than a clinical trial.

Continuous

required dosing pattern

Patch > oral

best therapy delivery method

Prior PMS

risk factor for worse migraine

## About the study

Original title Migraine in perimenopausal women Authors Allais G, Chiarle G, Bergandi F et al. Journal Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology Year 2015 Study design Survey study What was tested Hormone replacement therapy via continuous patch or gel dosing Read the paper [doi.org/10.1007/s10072-015-2155-8](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-015-2155-8)

## Topics

[Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[GnRH agonists and ovarian suppression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-gnrh/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)[Surgical menopause](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-surgery/)[Perimenopause and menopause](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-perimenopause/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

## Related studies

Survey study, 2003

Does migraine risk change during menopause in women with PMS?

Randomised trial, 2006

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Systematic review, 2023

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Non-randomised trial, 2014

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Survey study, 2001

Can hormonal changes cause headaches?

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