Ovulation Headaches: Why They Occur and what You Can Do About Them

What is an ovulation or menstrual headache?

As you can probably guess, menstrual headaches are related to your menstrual cycle. A menstrual headache typically refers to headaches and migraine that happen right before or during your period.

Drops in your estrogen levels that happen right before you start bleeding can be the catalyst for these headaches or migraine.

Ovulation headaches are also linked to your menstrual cycle, but they take place right before or during ovulation.

Ovulation is the time in your cycle when your ovaries release an egg in preparation for fertilization. The release of this egg marks the beginning of the fertile window. This is the only time of the month when you can become pregnant. Typically, ovulation happens about 14 days after the first day of your period.

An ovulation headache can be a tension-type headache or a migraine. Ovulation and menstrual headaches arent typically linked to other types of headaches.

What causes ovulation or menstrual headaches?

Hormones are the primary underlying cause of both menstrual and ovulation headaches.

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When your body is getting ready to ovulate, estrogen levels build. Once estrogen levels are at their peak, luteinizing hormone surges and tells your body that its time to release an egg thats been preparing in your ovary.

When the egg is released, some people feel pain or discomfort. Others dont notice a thing. And some people end up with a headache or migraine due to all that hormonal activity.

People who have menstrual headache and migraine might experience them because of the drastic drop in their estrogen levels.

Similarly, people who have ovulation headache and migraine might experience headache because their estrogen levels during that time of the cycle are very high.

Another hormone called prostaglandin, which some people have higher levels of, has been linked to migraine as well.

What are the symptoms of ovulation or menstrual headaches?

Tension-type headache and migraine linked to stages of your menstrual cycle dont necessarily have distinctive symptoms. However, this type of headache may be more disruptive to your day-to-day activities when combined with other menstrual cycle symptoms, like pelvic pain, cramps, and fatigue.

Several studies have found that menstrual migraine brings on more severe pain and lasts longer than migraine with other triggers.

Symptoms of an ovulation or menstrual-related headache may include:

  • throbbing pain in one or both sides of your head
  • visual disturbances like blurry vision, also known as aura
  • sensitivity to sunshine or bright lights
  • sensitivity to sound
  • nausea or vomiting

Whats the best way to treat ovulation or menstrual headaches?

Since ovulation headaches have a hormonal trigger, most treatment strategies are centered on controlling that hormonal peak and drop so that it isnt so severe.

While there are many treatment strategies available for menstrual-related headache and migraine, more research is needed thats specific to ovulation headache treatment.

Prescription medication

To treat an ovulation headache or migraine thats currently going on, you may need to try a prescription-strength nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or a class of medications called triptans.

Triptans are used to control pain from powerful, recurring headaches and can be given as a nasal spray, oral tablet, or even an injection.

Is there a way to prevent ovulation or menstrual headaches before they occur?

If your headaches are caused by ovulation, managing your hormones with preventive medication may help.

Your doctor may prescribe birth control pills to manage the steep drops in hormones that happen during ovulation. If youre already on birth control pills, you may want to try another type to prevent ovulation headaches.

If youre having frequent migraine attacks, you may be given preventive medications to take during the time of your cycle when you tend to experience migraine episodes.

Doctors sometimes prescribe the following classes of medications to prevent hormone headaches and migraine:

  • beta-blockers
  • selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)
  • anticonvulsants

If you have these types of headaches frequently, or if your symptoms are severe, talk with a doctor. They may have lifestyle recommendations or specific methods you can try to prevent headaches.

Takeaway

Ovulation headaches can be caused by peaking estrogen and surging luteinizing hormone.

Like other types of headache that are linked to your cycle, they can be treated with hormone therapy if they recur frequently. Home remedies can also help you manage the pain from these types of headache.

More research is needed to understand how common ovulation headaches are and if there are other treatments that can effectively treat this specific headache trigger.

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