08/21/2018 / By Frances Bloomfield
The relationship between migraines and hormones is one that has led to many women receiving warnings against hormone therapy. Using oral contraceptives has long been believed to increase the risk of stroke among migraine sufferers. Yet according to a recent study from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), that may not be necessarily be the case.
The data of 67,903 WHI participants was carefully analyzed to determine the connection between migraines, stroke, and hormone therapy. Among all the participants, the women who frequently suffered from migraines had a tendency to drink more, exercise less, and took in more vitamin D and calcium than women who weren’t prone to this headache disorder. Additionally, these same women were found to be at low risk of cardiovascular events, the chances of which remained unaffected by hormone therapy.
Of the results, lead author Dr. Jelena Pavlovic has commented: “Since migraines affect one in every four women and women with migraines are often advised to avoid hormone therapy, these findings may have significant public health implications.”
Promising, yes, but let’s not jump the gun here. Hormone therapy, oral contraceptives specifically, may be a convenient method of getting your hormones under control, but cramming your body chock-full of chemical hormones won’t do it any good. Fluctuating weight, unpredictable emotional changes, and the greater possibility of blood clots are just some of the risks you take when you pop that pill. (Related: Birth control pills can raise the risk of depression by up to 80%.)
Another notable one is that you make yourself more susceptible to headaches. Yes, you read right. Since sex hormones play an important role in the development of headaches and migraines, filling up on more of them can increase the frequency or severity of these head pains. Though the symptoms are said to improve as time goes on, are you really willing to wait for that to happen? Especially if migraines are such a regular and unfortunate part of your life?
If you want to balance your hormones with the least amount of risk, the best way is still natural. Aiming for a healthier lifestyle is the surefire way to keep everything in your body running optimally, hormones included. Here’s what you should do to stabilize your hormones and make migraines a thing of the past:
Doing all of these will make you feel amazing in more ways than one. Your hormones will be in harmony with one another, and the chances of you experiencing another migraine are slim. That’s on top of feeling great overall because you’ve done your body plenty of favors.
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Tagged Under: Diets, endocrine, exercise, fitness, headaches, hormone balance, Hormone therapy, hormones, migraines, pain relief, slender, women's health