Vertigo presenting during the peri-menopause can be related to migraine, according to a report by Nashville neurologists led by Dr. Jan Brandes. They collected information on 12 women who presented with a new onset of vertigo during their peri-menopause and who fulfilled the criteria for migrainous vertigo. Only 4 of the 12 were previously diagnosed to have migraine headaches and all of them were treated for at least a year for non-migraine causes of vertigo. Once the diagnosis of migrainous vertigo was made a combination of hormonal and conventional migraine preventive therapy produced a significant improvement in these women. The authors concluded that the appearance of vertigo during the peri-menopause should prompt an evaluation for possible migraine connection and if such connection is found the treatment should include a combination of hormonal and traditional migraine therapies.
Other non-migraine causes of vertigo include inner ear problems, brain disorders, such as strokes and tumors, and neck muscle spasm. The latter usually causes dizziness rather than true vertigo, which is defined as a spinning sensation. Dizziness can also be caused by drop in blood pressure, especially on standing up, peripheral nerve damage (such as in diabetes or vitamin B12 deficiency), eye, and other conditions.
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