Can you blame headaches on your hormones?

Can you blame headaches on your hormones?


Our hormones play a vital role in our metabolism, reproduction and development - but do we really understand what they are responsible for?

Read the second part of our guide to common conditions that we tend to blame on our hormones.


Headaches are one of the recognised symptoms of PMT, a condition experienced by some women caused by the surge of hormones just before their period.

But unfortunately no one really knows why hormones can cause headaches. Medical experts are also still trying figure out the exact causes of PMT and why some women suffer from the symptoms and others do not.

Dr Stephen Atkin, head of academic endocrinology at Hull University, says the best way to work out if you are suffering from PMT is to ask your doctor for a chart to plot your symptoms on.

You should then note down when the symptoms start, when they are at their worst and when they finish. The symptoms are usually worse in the week running up to the period and tend to disappear within one or two days of the period arriving.

Doctors recommend keeping a chart for at least three months. You will then be able to tell if your symptoms are related to PMT because you will see a pattern emerging.

For natural cures for PMT click in the blue box above.

However, most headaches will not be caused by PMT.

'A tension headache that does not seem to be relieved by anything tends not to have a hormonal reason,' says Dr Atkin.

Tension headaches are usually caused by tight neck and shoulder muscles. These can be triggered by stress, lack of sleep or poor posture.

Migraine headaches are slightly different. They are caused when the blood vessels in the head and neck tighten, making it more difficult for blood to pass through.

Migraine triggers include prolonged stress, excessive tiredness, a family history of migraine or certain foods such as chocolate, alcohol, coffee or cheese.

Headaches can also be triggered if you are dehydrated.

Alice Kavounas, author of Water: Pure Therapy, says, 'Dehydration lowers blood volume and reduces the flow to muscles and brain - it is the key factor that brings on my migraines. But on the advice of a cranial osteopath I began to drink two litres of water every day and have felt better ever since.'

You can become dehyrated after drinking too much alcohol. This is why you may experience headaches as part of a hangover.

Nutritionists recommend checking the colour of your urine to find out if you are suffering from dehydration. The paler it is, the better.

If it is very dark, you are already dehydrated and need to start drinking water straight away. Aim for one and a half to two litres of fluid every day to avoid becoming dehydrated.

Food cravings

Sugar cravings are caused by a condition called hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar levels.

Hypoglycaemia can be a symptom of PMT, but again doctors are unsure why we crave sweet things just before our period.

Sugar cravings can also be a symptom of bad diet.

If you tend to eat a lot of sugary, fatty foods this will disrupt your blood sugar levels. Eating a sugary snack sends your blood sugar levels soaring and in response, your body produces the hormone insulin to break it down and store the excess sugar as energy.

However, the extra surge of insulin can break down the sugar too quickly causing a sugar 'crash'. This will leave you feeling even more lethargic than before you ate the snack. Your day can be spent going between sugar highs and lows in an effort to stabilise your blood sugar level.

Catherine Collins, chief dietician from St George's Hospital in London, says you need to get your blood sugar levels under control to avoid sugar cravings.

'Eating slow release carbohydrates is very important to help offset sugar cravings,' she says. 'Because the energy they contain is released slowly into the bloodstream you avoid the cravings and the crash that comes from eating sugary snacks.'

Slow release carbohydrates include brown bread, pasta, bananas and muesli bars.

To work out if your sugar cravings are related to PMT, track your cravings on a chart and then make an appointment with your doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Weight gain

Putting on weight is one of the most common things people tend to blame on their hormones, particularly the thyroid hormones.

The thyroid gland is found at the front of the throat, either side of the Adam's Apple. Thyroid hormones are largely responsible for regulating your metabolism.

If your thyroid gland is underactive,

producing less of the necessary hormones, this can lead to weight gain. This condition is called hypothyroidism.

Because you are burning fewer calories, more calories are stored as fat, piling on the pounds or making the weight harder to lose.

But experts say that only two women in every 100 will have the condition, so if you have put on weight recently, it's quite unlikely that your hormones are to blame.

'You don't need to be eating a lot more to put on weight over a period of time,' says Catherine Collins. 'If you are eating an extra 100 calories per day - and that could just be one piece of bread - this could easily lead to putting on almost an extra pound of fat every month.'

Other symptoms of hypothyroidism include a swollen neck, known as a goitre, feeling increasingly tired, dry hair and skin and a drop in body temperature. Check if you have these symptoms as well as weight gain if you think you may be at risk of hypothyroidism.

If you are suffering from all the symptoms above, it is important to get a proper diagnosis of hypothyroidism from your doctor as it is a serious condition.

Finally, if you have been gaining weight, getting more spots and have also noticed you are getting more facial hair, you could be suffering from Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Women with PCOS have an excess of male hormones, and the condition can eventually lead to infertility if left untreated.

If you think you might have PCOS, make an appointment with your doctor for a proper diagnosis.


We are no longer accepting comments on this article.