Hormonal Help or Headache He!!: The Double-Edged Sword of HRT

Welcome to our monthly Migraine Q&A!

Today, we're addressing a common question from Heather, who's dealing with migraines around her cycle and is curious about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or birth control pills.

Heather's Question: HRT or Birth Control for Migraine Relief?

Heather, that's a fantastic and common concern for women dealing with migraines during perimenopause or postmenopause.

While HRT and birth control can sometimes provide short-term relief, they're often more like "Band-Aids" rather than long-term solutions. They might reduce symptoms for a while, but they don't get to the root of the problem.

The Hormone Hierarchy and Migraines

Our bodies have a complex system of hormones that work together. Think of it like a team. You've got the big players at the foundation—the ones in charge—like cortisol and insulin. These foundational hormones can significantly impact the lower-level hormones, like estrogen and progesterone, which often get blamed for many symptoms women experience from ages 40-60, including migraines.

If we're in a constant state of stress, our body's production of cortisol can go haywire. This throws off the delicate balance, leading to more migraines. Then there's insulin, which is all about how we process sugars and carbs. When our insulin gets out of whack, it can create a cascade of issues, including more head pain. We can't forget about our thyroid—our body’s control center. When this is out of balance, many of your body’s functions slow down. Oxytocin, the hormone that can make us feel good, also plays a role. Each of these players needs to be in top form because if they're not, our sex hormones will get out of line and contribute to more migraines.

*For a deeper dive into the Hormonal Hierarchy, listen to this podcast episode!

A Holistic Approach Before HRT or Birth Control

What does all this mean for you, Heather? Before considering HRT or birth control, it is worth taking a holistic look at your approach to migraines and hormones. Consider your sleep quality, nutrition, stress management, electrolyte balance, and daily movement. Each of these can significantly impact your hormonal balance.

You might feel like you've heard this before, and it seems pretty basic. However, getting these steps right and customizing them to fit your health perfectly is the groundwork for your whole health picture, migraines included. Each of these areas can aid or block hormone production—so they are not so basic after all but essential to your health.

When HRT and Birth Control Can Help

Now, don't get me wrong, HRT and birth control can be lifesavers for some women when used short-term alongside a root-cause solution. This subset of women typically only requires them for a brief period while they implement the 6 Key Strategies of the Migraine Freedom™ Protocol to reset their bodies to function properly.

Before going down that route, explore other avenues that address the whole hormone hierarchy. Take care of the "bosses" first so the rest of the team falls into line.

Remember, every woman's body is unique, and it might take some time to figure out what's best for you.

Achieving Lasting Migraine Freedom™

To have lasting success in achieving migraine freedom for life, you've got to balance all six key areas at once because they all lean on each other.

Find out how they fit together best for you, and stick to a plan you can actually keep up with. Keeping each piece in check and adapting as you go is crucial for them to work well together and get you feeling better.

I know it may sound hard, but it's really easier than you think. We help women achieve this level of success every day inside our Migraine Freedom™ programs.

Heather, thanks so much for your question!

If you have more questions, don’t forget to join us every third Wednesday of the month for our Quickfire Q&A sessions inside the Women’s Migraine Freedom™ Facebook Group!

The next Q&A session is happening THIS Wednesday (March 19th), so make sure to click here to join the group.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Waidl is the Owner of In The Balance Health Coaching LLC, and Founder of The Freedom From Migraines Method™ & The Migraine Freedom Protocol™
She supports busy moms living with Migraines.

Debbie will uncover what is holding them back from migraine freedom so they can live their life pain and symptom free, work productively, spend the time they want with family and friends, and stop missing out on the things they enjoy.

A message from Debbie:
"I was once right where you are now. 100% believing there was NO WAY to end migraines and my only option was to learn how to live with them or find that magic pill that maybe would work for a while. If anyone told me back then that I could end my pain once and for all, I would have called BS and popped another pill!

Skeptical times 10 was my middle name for sure because when you try it all and everyone tells you they can help you and they don’t. You stop believing… you lose HOPE!

I now realize I was approaching my migraines all backward.

I was trying to cover up symptoms versus trying to end my pain."

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