Stop migraines BEFORE THEY STOP YOU

Getting more of them than usual? There’s help out there…

For sufferers, a migraine is more than just ‘a bad headache’. This neurological condition doesn’t only cause intense, throbbing pain – often on one side of the head – but other symptoms, including brain fog, fatigue, nausea, flashing lights or ‘aura’, and sensitivity to light.

In the UK, one in five women is affected, and there are several causes. More than half of women link migraines to their period*, but taking the contraceptive pill and the menopause are also triggers. Here’s what you need to know.

The trouble with hormones

Monthly fluctuations, especially of oestrogen, are a major factor in triggering attacks in some women, says GP, Dr Katy Munro, a headache specialist and author of Managing Your Migraine (£9.99, Penguin Life Experts). ‘In the perimenopause, ovarian function can fluctuate wildly. This, combined with other shifts in midlife such as changing sleep patterns, work and life stresses, can result in migraines becoming more troublesome.’