Headaches Change for Older Women After Menopause
Headaches Change for Older Women After MenopauseDec. 2004 -- As women age, and especially after menopause, they often report fewer headaches. Thats because during younger, reproductive years, fluctuating hormones can trigger headache pain.
However, if youre past menopause and having headaches for the first time, or if your headaches have gotten worse, talk with your doctor. As you age, head pain can be a symptom of a serious illness.
Among the numerous causes for headaches are conditions that obstruct blood flow to the brain, high blood pressure, brain tumor, glaucoma or a transient ischemic attack, which indicates high risk for stroke. Most headaches arent cause for alarm. But if you develop headaches that are very different from ones youve had in the past, an underlying medical condition could be to blame.
- Abrupt, severe headache, often like a thunderclap.
- Headache with other signs and symptoms such as fever, stiff neck, rash, mental confusion, seizures, double vision, weakness, numbness or difficulty speaking.
- Headache you would classify as the worst youve ever had. Headache after head injury, especially if it worsens with time.
- Headache caused by coughing, exertion, straining or a sudden movement.
- A new headache pattern or a pattern that progressively gets more severe after age 50.
