But other factors that can lead to headaches include infections, stress, and lifestyle factors like your diet.
This article discusses why headaches can be a symptom of anemia as well as other potential causes of headaches.
It explains how anemia-related headaches are treated and when a healthcare provider can help.
Verywell / Laura Porter
Deficiencies may arise from your diet, from bleeding, or other causes.
What Are Migraines?
Migrainesare attacks of severe headaches and other symptoms that last anywhere from hours to several days.
Some people experience elation, depression, restlessness, or sleep disturbances due to the condition.
Is Migraine a Symptom of Iron Deficiency Anemia?
Iron deficiency anemia has been linked to migraines, headaches, and an increased predisposition to pain.
It also can cause a variety of symptoms, including fatigue, dizziness, anxiety, and depression.
When you have less-than-optimal oxygen delivery throughout your body, this can cause generalized physical symptoms.
It may exhaust you mentally and physically.
Some have classified this end-of-menstruation migraine as a unique punch in of migraine.
Pregnancy
Migraines are common during pregnancy, just as they often occur during your menstrual cycle.
They are the most common throw in of headache found with hormonal changes, especiallyestrogen.
The anemia can be addressed with prenatal iron supplements.
When to See Your Healthcare Provider
Low-iron anemia can have a common and easily treatable cause.
But anemia also can be asign of canceror its treatments, as well as other serious conditions.
Menstrual migraines are sometimes associated with low-iron anemia at the end of your period.
Other conditions, including idiopathic intracranial hypertension, also have been linked to anemia and headache.
A Word From Verywell
Migraines generally recur regularly, and they can affect males and females.
Be sure to discuss any changes in your migraine pattern with your healthcare provider.
Gur-Ozmen S, Karahan-Ozcan R.Iron deficiency anemia is associated with menstrual migraine: a casecontrol study.Pain Medicine.
2016 Mar;17(3):596-605. doi:10.1093/pm/pnv029
MedlinePlus.Migraine.
Miller JL.Iron deficiency anemia: a common and curable disease.Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med.
2013;3(7):10.1101/cshperspect.a011866 a011866.
doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a011866
Pamuk GE, Top MS, Uyank MS, et al.Is iron-deficiency anemia associated with migraine?
Is there a role for anxiety and depression?Wiener klinische Wochenschrift.
2020 Jul 31;15(7):e0236828.
2020 Aug;33(15):2679-2689. doi:10.1080/14767058.2018.1555811.
National Headache Foundation.Facts About Triptans.
Penn Medicine.What Is Anemia?
