Should You Wait Out Menopausal Migraines?

Today, we’re diving into an essential question that came from Tina, a member of our Women's Migraine Freedom™ Group. Tina is nearing menopause, experiencing over 20 debilitating migraines a month, and asks:

“If I’m close to menopause, should I just wait it out, hoping my migraines will decrease in frequency or intensity after menopause? Maybe I can manage until then.”

This is a common question, and a thought many women have when menopause feels just around the corner. The idea of temporarily managing the pain while "powering through" can feel tempting.

But here’s the truth: waiting it out often ignores the complexity of hormonal interactions and may ultimately keep you in a cycle of unnecessary pain—or worse, set the stage for deeper health issues down the road.

Understanding Hormonal Fluctuations and Migraines

Hormonal fluctuations are one of the well-known drivers of migraines—but maybe not in the way you think. Many women assume that once these fluctuations stabilize after menopause, their migraines will magically subside.

While it’s true that a small percentage of women—what I call the "rare unicorns"—find relief after menopause, this outcome is far from guaranteed. These cases often involve multiple factors working together, not purely hormonal changes.

In reality, migraines can persist or even worsen after menopause, something I’ve seen countless times with women joining our Freedom From Migraines Method® program.

The Danger of "Waiting It Out"

Putting off treatment and waiting for menopause to arrive sounds convenient, but it carries significant risks:

Migraines as a Warning Sign

Migraines aren’t random—they’re like flashing neon signs indicating deeper imbalances in your body. Ignoring them allows systemic inflammation and imbalance to quietly grow unchecked, creating fertile ground for long-term issues like:

Autoimmune diseases
Heart conditions
Gut dysfunction
Anxiety or depression
Even cancer

Chronic inflammation works silently and persistently, regardless of whether you’re waiting for hormonal shifts.

Hormonal Hierarchy Issues

When we think of hormones, we often focus on estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. But above these in the hormonal hierarchy are foundation hormones like insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormones. These primary hormones directly impact the behavior of your sex hormones.

Here’s the catch: unless you address imbalances in these foundation hormones, post-menopause relief becomes even less likely.

Hormonal Hierarchy Issues

Here’s the catch: unless you address imbalances in these foundation hormones, post-menopause relief becomes even less likely.

🧠 For more details, check out my podcast episode and blog post on The Hormonal Hierarchy to better understand how these foundational hormones impact your health.

The Gut-Hormone Connection

Your gut health plays a crucial role in hormone detoxification, which means an unhealthy gut makes it nearly impossible to achieve balanced hormones—even after menopause.

If you’ve been experiencing gut symptoms like bloating, irregularity, or constipation/diarrhea, this is where you should focus first before trying to balance hormones. Poor gut health doesn’t just provoke hormonal imbalances—it also worsens migraines.

Why “Managing With Medications” Can Backfire

Many women turn to medications to "get through" their migraines until menopause. Over time, this approach tends to backfire—especially if medications like triptans cause gut dysfunction, such as constipation. What happens next?

A compromised gut makes hormonal detox even harder, intensifies imbalances, and drives migraines while adding toxicity to the system—essentially worsening the very condition you're trying to escape.

It’s like treating the symptoms while leaving the root cause untouched, making the problem even harder to fix long-term.

A Better Approach: Root Cause Strategies

Instead of waiting and hoping, the better strategy is to face migraines head-on with proactive, root-cause solutions. This includes:

✅ Reducing Inflammation

Chronic inflammation drives migraines and leads to broader health issues. Interrupting this cycle early prevents deeper, systemic effects.

✅ Balancing Foundation Hormones

Prioritize balancing insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormones—the key players in the hormonal hierarchy—before focusing only on sex hormones like estrogen or progesterone.

✅ Optimizing Gut Health

Heal and support your gut health so your hormones can work properly. This foundational step often improves migraines significantly while enhancing long-term health.

Migraines aren’t just a temporary inconvenience—they’re your body signaling that it needs proactive support right now.

The sooner you tackle these deeper issues, the sooner relief will come—not only for perimenopause but for years to follow.

Let’s Create Your Migraine Freedom Plan

Tina, thank you for submitting your question! You’re not alone in this journey, and I’m here to support you every step of the way.

If you’re nearing menopause and facing similar struggles, let’s tackle this proactively together.

Click the link to schedule a Migraine Breakthrough™ Call, where we’ll evaluate what’s genuinely happening in your body and create a clear plan for relief and freedom.

While you wait, don’t forget to join our Women’s Migraine Freedom™ Group, where you’ll find more resources, support, and workshops tailored to your needs.

It’s time to reclaim your health, empower yourself, and move forward into this next stage of life with confidence.

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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