Headaches can have a variety of triggers, making it difficult at times to determine their underlying cause. Common headache triggers can range from stress to dehydration to poor diet choices. And in women especially, headaches can also be hormonal. The monthly menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause can cause hormones to fluctuate throughout a woman’s life. For some women, menopause can bring relief from monthly hormonal headaches. For others, migraines are one of the many new symptoms they may start experiencing during menopause.

Men too can suffer from hormone-related headaches, especially if they experience a drop in testosterone, whether due to the natural decline of age, taking certain medications, or a health condition such as obesity. Fortunately, bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, along with targeted lifestyle changes, can be very effective tools for headache relief—with the added benefit of improving overall health and wellbeing.