Hormonal Migraines
If your migraines seem to follow a pattern tied to your cycle, you’re not imagining it. Hormonal migraines typically cluster around the two points in your cycle where oestrogen drops most sharply, around ovulation and in the days before your period starts. They can be genuinely debilitating, severely affecting quality of life and making it difficult to hold down work or get through everyday commitments. As a Geelong-based naturopath specialising in women’s hormone health, I help you identify whether your migraines are hormonally driven, and build a targeted plan around what’s actually triggering them.
Why Hormonal Migraines Happen
The sharp drop in oestrogen around ovulation and just before your period is the key trigger for most hormonally-linked migraines. Because these two drops happen predictably each cycle, hormonal migraines often follow a recognisable pattern which is actually useful information, since it means we can plan around it rather than just reacting when a migraine hits.
How I Work With You
My approach centres on two things: identifying particular nutritional deficiencies that may be contributing, and timed cyclical hormone testing to map exactly what’s happening across your cycle. From there, treatment is built around addressing what’s actually driving the pattern - not just managing symptoms as they come up.
FAQ
How do I know if my migraines are hormonal?
The clearest sign is a pattern - migraines that consistently show up around ovulation or in the days before your period are a strong indicator, and tracking them alongside your cycle for a couple of months can help confirm it.
Will I need hormone testing?
Often, yes. Timed cyclical testing helps build a clear picture of what’s happening with your hormones across the month, which guides the treatment plan.
Can diet and nutrients really make a difference to migraines?
Yes. For many women nutritional deficiencies play a meaningful role, and addressing these alongside the hormonal picture is often where we see the biggest improvements.
I already take migraine medication. Can naturopathic treatment still help?
Yes. Naturopathic support can work alongside your current medication, and I’ll always encourage you to keep your GP or neurologist in the loop.
How long before I notice a difference?
It varies, but most women start noticing changes within a few cycles of consistent treatment, since migraines are being tracked against your cycle pattern.