Low estrogen can give you constant headaches, little to no EWCM [egg-white cervical mucus] and long delayed ovulation and may prevent you from hanging onto a pregnancy.

The only time I don't have a headaches lately is as ovulation approaches and during the early part of my Luteal Phase (LP), before my estrogen starts to fall. During some natural monitor cycling, I had bloodwork that showed me when my estrogen was too low.

So I started a campaign to get my estrogen back up. I used Soy Isoflavones 200mg/day from day 3-10. I got some estrogen cream from my hormone doctor, 5mg Biest, and I use it every single day. This cycle, up till ovulation, I used it once/day, but once I got a +OPK, I started using it 2x/day.

I also have been drinking pomegranate juice, eating oatmeal, carrots, green beans, peas, beets, potatoes, rice and rye bread. Pre-ovulation, I took Garlic (500mg) and Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) (1,000mg). All these seemed to help to increase your estrogen.

The previous two cycles, it took me till day 29 to ovulate. But starting this campaign last cycle, I had no headaches during my LP, and my estrogen stayed over 125 as of 7 days past ovulation (dpo).

Now this cycle, I ovulated on day 19, I had plenty of EWCM (egg-white cervical mucus), and so far the headaches are better. So I know it's helping, though it may need to be tweaked more.

Other foods that raise estrogen are alfalfa, anise, apples, barley, cherries, clover, fennel, hops, licorice, parsley, red beans, sage, sesame seeds, soybeans, sprouts, wheat and yeast. Herbs are: Black Cohosh, Blessed Thistle, Red Clover, Boron and Ginseng.

What I don't know is, if some foods work better than others? I haven't been able to find any sort of break-down, just a list of foods and herbs. So I just eat what foods I like, and hope for the best!

BTW, if you are taking Vitex or False Unicorn Root, they lower estrogen.

But I hope that give you some ideas.

Now, of course, the problem with estrogen and headaches is that they can be caused by low estrogen, high estrogen or even surges of estrogen. It really depends on how your hormones affect you.

This is why some women get a migraine at ovulation, from the surge of estrogen. There is also a second surge around implantation.

You really can't know for sure without blood work, and I recommend it highly before starting to play around with herbs, etc. If your estrogen is already high, it can make your problems much worse if you work to increase it, thinking it is low...

In fact, most women have too high of estrogen at this point. It will all depend on how you process your hormones, what's normal for you. Some women sail thru peri-menopause without a problem, and some suffer terribly. Most are somewhere in between. As everything else, it's just the luck of the draw!

From the article Is Too Low of Estrogen a Problem? :

Symptoms of Low Estrogen – Hot flashes, Shortness of breath, Night sweats, Sleep disorders, insomnia, Vaginal dryness, Dry hair/skin, Hair loss, Anxiety, Mood swings, Headaches, Depression, Short term memory loss, Frequent urinary tract infections, Heart palpitations, Frequent yeast infections, Vaginal shrinking, Loss of pubic hair, Painful intercourse, Inability to reach orgasm

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QUESTION: You have such a wealth of information and I was wondering... How do I deal with these rotten headaches I keep getting especially after my period, and then leading up to it?

ANSWER: Always glad to help! One thing I do for easy estrogen increase is eat oatmeal and drink grapefruit juice. EPO [evening primrose oil] will probably help too, I'll include a list of things that may help:

Estrogen & Grapefruit
http://youcangetpregnant.blogspot.com/2006/12/estrogen-grapefruit.html

Menstrual migraine is associated with low levels of vitamin D and calcium.
http://youcangetpregnant.blogspot.com/2006/12/miracle-of-vitamin-d.html

Is Too Low of Estrogen a Problem?
http://youcangetpregnant.blogspot.com/2006/11/is-too-low-of-estrogen-problem.html

More on Low Estrogen: Foods & Herbs
http://youcangetpregnant.blogspot.com/2006/11/more-on-low-estrogen-foods-herbs.html

Quote:
• Evening Primrose Oil:
1,000 IU per day should be taken from Cycle Day 1 to Ovulation. Do not take EPO after ovulation because EPO causes uterine contractions, which may interfere with implantation. A natural estrogen promoter. EPO is a good source of Essential Fatty Acids "EFA". All living cells need fatty acids for rebuilding and producing new cells. The body uses EFAs to produce substances which send messages that trigger hormone production necessary for a successful cycle!
Source: http://youcangetpregnant.blogspot.com/2007/03/herbs-for-cervical-mucus.html

• Licorice Root:
Licorice Root has estrogen and progesterone-like effects, cleanses the colon, decreases muscular spasms and increases fluidity of mucus. Licorice should only be taken for 7 days at one time unless it is Deglycyrrhizinated as it can raise blood pressure. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice may stimulate natural defense mechanisms that prevent the occurrence of ulcers by increasing the amount of mucus-secreting cells in the digestive tract. This improves the quality of mucus and lengthens intestinal cell life.
Source: http://youcangetpregnant.blogspot.com/2007/03/herbs-for-cervical-mucus.html

Quote:
* You can get migraines. Everyone's heard of menstrual migraines, but did you know they can occur during 'the other time of the month' as well? "Many women report their headaches occur exclusively during menstruation itself and are symptom-free at other times during the cycle," Ensom says. "But some women have exacerbations during ovulation," due in part to peaking estrogen levels.
Source: http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=46984

Quote:
Menstrual Headache - Menstrual headaches are migraine headaches which occur shortly before, during, and after menstruation, or at the time of ovulation. Menstrual headaches are believed to be caused by fluctuating estrogen levels. Estrogens are known to fall immediately prior to a period, especially in women in their late thirties and forties. A drop in estrogen levels may also be responsible for mid-cycle headaches when the surge of estrogen associated with ovulation occurs, and the drop immediately following this surge may trigger a migraine. A sudden change in hormone levels during the final week of taking oral contraception (birth control pills), when estrogen is abruptly withdrawn, can also induce this type of headache. Frequently, the contraceptive pills are stopped in the mistaken belief that the pills have caused the migraine. However, it is often the withdrawal of the pill in the last week which caused the migraine to occur. The addition of a small amount of estrogen during this week may help to prevent such headaches.
Source: http://www.midlife-passages.com/newpage28.htm