GYN Solutions & Aesthetics is explaining new research linking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to more frequent attacks and more days with migraine each month after menopause. A conversation about HRT and mood swings or hormone therapy for symptoms like hot flashes may also cover the patient’s migraine history. The practice outlines what the findings mean for patients wondering whether HRT helps with migraines.
The research was presented at The Menopause Society’s 2026 Annual Meeting, held October 20 to 24 in San Diego. Lead author Dr. Flavia Fairbanks Ruano of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine studied HRT in postmenopausal women, those who have gone through menopause. Her team’s meta-analysis pooled data from five studies covering nearly 24,000 women.
Across studies that included different forms of HRT, the researchers looked at how common migraines were and how often attacks occurred. They examined how many days per month women had migraines and how severe the pain was. They also tracked how many pain relievers women used each month.
In the pooled analysis, HRT use among postmenopausal women was linked to about one additional migraine attack and one additional day with migraine symptoms per month, on average. The researchers found no statistically significant difference in migraine pain scores or monthly pain reliever use.
Migraines affect an estimated 10% to 29% of women during the menopause transition, according to the Society. During perimenopause, which begins before the final period and ends a year afterward, unpredictable drops in estrogen can make migraine attacks more frequent or more severe. HRT is used to manage many bothersome menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes, but shifting estrogen may still influence migraines.
Dr. Stephanie Faubion, the Society’s medical director, called HRT effective for bothersome vasomotor symptoms, meaning hot flashes and night sweats. She noted that many women with migraine can use HRT safely and that migraine patients may be more likely to seek treatment for menopause symptoms. The results may therefore reflect differences between women who use HRT and those who do not.
Faubion and Ruano called for more research, with Ruano’s team recommending clinical trials to understand the link between HRT and migraine and guide treatment decisions. The review focused on women after menopause. Questions remain about how HRT relates to migraine during perimenopause and whether pills and patches affect migraine days differently.
The findings on HRT and migraines distinguish between the number of attacks per month and the number of days a person has migraine symptoms. More migraine days can mean more missed shifts or canceled plans, even when pain scores are similar.
On their own, the findings do not prove that HRT causes a heavier migraine burden or that every woman with migraine should avoid treatment. The Society notes that HRT can help manage bothersome menopause symptoms in patients who have been properly assessed. The key difference is between using HRT for menopause symptoms and expecting it to relieve migraines.
GYN Solutions & Aesthetics begins care with a personalized consultation and may order blood tests when they are medically useful. The practice uses the patient’s symptoms and medical history to build a treatment plan, taking any relevant test results into account. At follow-up visits, the practice reviews changes in symptoms or side effects before adjusting the plan, since improvement varies from patient to patient.
GYN Solutions & Aesthetics provides gynecology and menopause care alongside aesthetic treatments at its offices in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida. Dr. Leslie Bender-Ralph, a board-certified OB/GYN, has more than 14 years of clinical experience.
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For more information about GYN Solutions & Aesthetics, contact the company here:
GYN Solutions & Aesthetics
Dr. Bender-Ralph, Dr. Leslie Bender-Ralph
+1 813-214-8133
info@gsatampa.com
13638 W Hillsborough Ave, Tampa, FL 33635, United States
