A tendency to allergies or high histamine can increase the risk of perimenopausal symptoms such as night sweats, anxiety, pain, sleep disturbance, migraines, and heavy periods. That’s because histamine increases with estrogen, and estrogen is higher than normal during the early years of perimenopause.
histamine
Mast cell activation or histamine intolerance can play a role in women’s health conditions including heavy periods, migraines, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).
Why Progesterone Is Both Good and Bad for Mood (and How to Treat PMDD)
Progesterone is usually soothing to mood but can sometimes cause anxiety.
A negative mood reaction to changing levels of progesterone is called neurosteroid change sensitivity or premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) and affects about one in twenty women.
Also, see Top 6 natural treatments for premenstrual mood symptoms.
Natural Treatment of Menstrual Migraines
According to a Lancet review, menstrual migraines are more severe than migraines at other times of the cycle.
Possible drivers of menstrual migraines include estrogen withdrawal at the end of the cycle, plus an estrogen-dependent release of prostaglandins and histamine. Body-identical progesterone may help to shelter the brain from estrogen withdrawal and reduce the frequency and intensity of menstrual migraines.
What’s the Story With Dairy and Period Problems?
For some women, stopping normal dairy products can relieve period symptoms. But why?
In the latest episode of my podcast and YouTube video, I discuss the inflammatory effects of A1 casein and how a mast cell histamine response can drive period problems such as premenstrual mood symptoms, heavy bleeding, and pain.