FAQ Episode 5: Endometriosis and Migraine

FAQs for Natural Migraine Relief for Women

Hi! Jeff Baker here again as your physician host for Frequently Asked Questions about Natural Migraine Relief for Women.  Today I’d like to look at the intersection of two common problems in women’s health.  In both migraine and endometriosis, there is a clear overlap in how root cause factors of hormone fluctuation and inflammation play roles in their clinical expression.  

Endometriosis affects some 10-15% of women in their reproductive years.  Common symptoms include heavy periods, pain and cramps with menstrual flow or intercourse, pain with urination, and potentially infertility as well. 

It is interesting to note that the more severe the endometriosis, the more likely the person is to have migraines. A recent study¹ looked at the relationship between the two, finding that 53% of women in this study who had endometriosis also had migraines, and of those 65% of those migraines were related to menses (35% did not appear to be related to hormonal cycles.)  This translates to more than 1/3 of all women with endometriosis also having hormone-related migraines. That seems more than chance, doesn’t it?

There are several take-home lessons from this study:

1) The lag from the average age at the onset of migraines (age 15 in this study) to the age at diagnosis of endometriosis (age 28) is on average an 18-year gap.  It’s said that typically one suffers from endometriosis for 10 years before the diagnosis is confirmed.  For women who have the symptoms of endometriosis and who also have migraines, early management aimed at both may reduce the severity of either migraines and/or endometriosis, hasten the rate at which the endometriosis diagnosis is made, or potentially all three.

2. If you fall into the group of the 1/3 with those with endometriosis who also have hormone-related migraines., it makes sense to a) look for the root causes the two problems might share, and b) find out if there may be some common strategies that would minimize both problems.

3. Of those with endometriosis and migraines, 35% had migraines not related to hormonal cycles.  This means that either hormones played no role in the headache, or more likely, that they could have yet another root cause factor underlying both endometriosis and migraine.  It’s a good example of how there can be more than one root factor promoting a problem, and that we may need to look at managing more than one cause to find the therapeutic combination that best fits your story.

I’d like to present two strategies that may help with both endometriosis and migraines:

-the first could be to reduce a surplus production of prostaglandin enzymes that can develop the day before, or into the first day of the menstrual flow.  Prostaglandins can cause uterine muscle spasms that can promote or aggravate endometriosis.   When in excess, they can also affect smooth muscle in arteries throughout the body and promote migraine headaches.  Use of ibuprofen (every 6 hours, with food) or naproxen (every 12 hours, with food) around the clock during the 24–36-hour window before menses into the first day of flow can reduce the production of excess prostaglandins.

-the second is to consider using topical bio-identical progesterone cream in the 4-5 days before menses to moderate an overly robust estrogen effect known as ‘estrogen dominance’.  One sign of estrogen dominance is being prone to ‘PMS’ (with typical symptoms of fluid retention, breast tenderness, food cravings, irritability, or depression, etc.) in the 3-7 days at the end of the cycle. One could start with 25 – 50 mg of progesterone applied to the inner arm or thigh area at bedtime on these ‘at-risk’ days. You would quit using it when your period starts. You can readily find bio-identical progesterone over-the-counter at most health food stores. Make sure that the ingredient label reads “USP Progesterone.”

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Understanding the big picture on what drives your migraine headaches.

We address both of the above interventions in more detail, along with many additional focused therapy options for getting at the root causes of your migraine in the online course Natural Migraine Relief for Women, which examines in detail the major root cause factors for migraine headaches, written specifically for women with migraines.

The Natural Migraine Relief course uses the unique Migraine Action Plan^© tool to help you assess the potential overlap of 60+ health conditions and medical co-morbidities.  It will also direct you to which of more than 90 specific non-drug intervention options are most applicable to your migraine story.

To learn more about this course, what it offers, and how to get started, go to

http://www.naturalmigrainerelief.online

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¹ Endometriosis and the diagnosis of different forms of migraine: an association with dysmenorrhea   Benedetta Pasquinia, et.al. https://www.rbmojournal.com/action/showPdf?pii=S1472-6483%2823%2900207-9