Menopause Headaches: Why They Happen and How To Relieve Pain

Medically reviewed by Danielle Grimm, MPH, MSN, CNP, WHNP-BC, MSCP · Written by Sarah Winfrey · April 6, 2026

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Key Takeaways

Many women experience headaches during menopause, which can be linked to shifting hormone levels, high blood pressure, stress, and other factors.

Women sometimes experience headaches associated with menopause. Headaches may be a direct symptom of fluctuating estrogen and progesterone as hormone levels change. They may also be a symptom of other health conditions.

If you're experiencing headaches and think they may be associated with menopause, here's what you need to know.

There Are Many Types of Headaches

About 96 percent of people experience headaches at some point in their lives. It can be hard to tell what's causing them. That said, some women report experiencing headaches more frequently or more intensely during menopause.

There are more than 150 kinds of headaches.

Several of the most common ones often associated with menopause are:

Migraine — This neurological condition causes pain on one side of the head that often also occurs with nausea, vomiting, vision changes, and sensitivity to light, sound, and smells.
Tension — The most common type of headache feels like there's a tight band around the head squeezing the forehead and temples. It may be connected to muscle tension.
Hypertension — These headaches are associated with high blood pressure. You may feel throbbing pain on both sides of your head.

When Does a Headache Require Medical Attention?

Headaches can indicate that something serious is going on in your body. If your headaches meet any of the following criteria, get medical help right away. A headache may need a doctor's attention if it:

Comes directly after a head injury or an accident
Comes on quickly, feels different from what you've experienced before, and causes severe symptoms
Occurs with a stiff neck, rash, fever, or trouble breathing
Is a new type of headache and you're over 55
Comes along with neurological symptoms, such as vision problems, numbness, weakness, seizures, confusion, dizziness, paralysis, trouble speaking, or balance problems

Your healthcare team can figure out what kind of headache you're having, what's causing it, and what the best treatment plan is for your body.

How Menopause May Be Connected to Headaches

Menopause can be connected to headaches in a few different ways. Talk to your doctor to identify whether any of these factors may be related to your headaches.

Hormonal Changes

Changes in hormone levels, particularly estrogen, can lead to both migraine headaches and tension headaches. Sometimes during perimenopause, estrogen levels drop quickly. This drop in estrogen can constrict your blood vessels, which can trigger a headache. Estrogen also affects how sensitive you are to pain and how inflamed your body is, which may worsen headaches.

Perimenopause may be a particularly difficult time if you also live with migraine. About 30 percent of women experience migraine symptoms that peak during perimenopause, according to a study published in the journal Neurology and Therapy. Your healthcare provider can recommend a treatment plan to help prevent migraine headaches that get worse during perimenopause.

Additional Increased Risk of Migraine

In addition to being affected by hormonal changes, you may experience more migraine attacks associated with other symptoms of menopause too. Hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, memory problems, and stress associated with menopause can all affect how you experience migraine symptoms.

The good news is that as hormone levels stabilize after menopause, you may have fewer migraine headaches. Not everyone will experience this, but it's possible.

96%

About 96 percent of people experience headaches at some point in their lives.

30%

About 30 percent of women experience migraine symptoms that peak during perimenopause.

150

There are more than 150 kinds of headaches.

High Blood Pressure

Some women find that their blood pressure goes up during menopause and may stay that way even once they're postmenopausal. Blood pressure may increase for several reasons, including:

Hormonal changes
Weight gain
Some forms of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
A changing response to salt in the body, due to hormonal fluctuations
Increased stress

Since high blood pressure can cause headaches, your healthcare team may want to check for hypertension.

Stress, Depression, and Anxiety

Menopause is connected to depression and anxiety, which may be directly related to hormonal changes or to stress caused by other menopausal symptoms. In fact, the more severe your symptoms of menopause are, the more likely you are to also experience mental health issues. Somewhere between 15 percent and 50 percent of women have mental health challenges during menopause.

Migraine also has links to both anxiety and depression. It's unknown exactly how this connection works.

Stress and anxiety are also connected to tension headaches. Even if you don't deal with migraine, you may have additional headaches connected to your mental health during menopause.

Other Causes of Headaches

Headaches during menopause may not be directly related to menopause. Other conditions that cause headaches include:

Exposure to pollutants like smoke, food smells, or potential allergens
Sinus problems
Dehydration
Overuse of certain headache medications
Bad posture
Skipping meals
Significant physical exertion

Sneezing, blowing your nose, coughing, straining to have a bowel movement, or laughing or crying too hard can also trigger a headache. Your doctor can help you figure out what factors are contributing to your headaches.

Managing Menopause Headaches

There are ways to help manage pain associated with menopausal headaches. Ask your doctor which are most likely to help in your case.

Dietary Changes

Changing what you eat may help your headaches. Some people find that eating certain foods and avoiding others helps manage migraine attacks. Different people will be sensitive to different foods and drinks, but you may try limiting or eliminating:

Gluten
Citrus
Aspartame (a sweetener)
Monosodium glutamate (MSG, a flavoring)
Fermented foods
Foods with high levels of substances like tannins, nitrates, and amines

One study suggested consuming more isoflavones may be particularly helpful with headaches during menopause. These nutrients come from plants, especially soy, and can act like estrogen in the body.

Stress Management

Managing your stress may help reduce headaches too. You might try stress reduction techniques such as exercise, deep breathing, mindfulness, or meditation to see if any help lower your tension and relieve headaches.

Magnesium Supplements

If you're in perimenopause and still menstruating, magnesium supplements may help relieve menstrual migraines. Healthcare professionals recommend starting magnesium 15 days after the start of your period and continuing until your next menstrual cycle. Additionally, lack of sleep can be a headache trigger, and magnesium can also help with sleep.

Ice Packs or Heat

Using ice packs or heating pads on your head can help alleviate headache pain. A hot or cold compress may be particularly helpful if you get tension headaches. Make sure your pack isn't too hot or too cold and that you follow medical advice for how long and how often to use it.

Over-the-Counter Medications

Sometimes, over-the-counter (OTC) pain relief is all you need to help your head feel better. These medications may be particularly helpful with tension headaches. Additionally, OTC nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, may help prevent some migraine attacks. Taking OTC pain relievers too often can lead to more headaches, though, so consult with your doctor if you need them more than once or twice a week.

Other Medical Treatments

If your headaches are frequent or severe, it's time for additional medical help. The treatment options your doctor suggests will depend on what kind of headache you have. For instance, for migraine, there are rescue medications such as triptans and also preventive drugs. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may recommend medication to lower it safely.

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