Does maca root help with headaches during perimenopause?

Headaches are a common and underappreciated symptom of perimenopause. Many women who were not frequent headache sufferers before find themselves dealing with new or worsening headaches as hormone levels begin to fluctuate. The connection is well established: estrogen influences serotonin levels, blood vessel tone, and pain thresholds. When estrogen drops sharply, particularly in the days before a period or during an anovulatory cycle, the result can be a hormonal headache or migraine. Some women ask whether maca root might help. Here is what the research does and does not show.

Maca root (Lepidium meyenii) is an adaptogenic root vegetable from the Peruvian Andes. Its active compounds include macamides, macaenes, glucosinolates, and plant sterols. It is not estrogenic, meaning it does not mimic or directly supply estrogen. It works primarily through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, supporting the body's own ability to regulate hormonal and stress signaling.

For headaches specifically, there is no direct clinical research on maca. No trials have examined headache frequency or severity as a primary outcome in women taking maca for perimenopause. That is an important limitation to acknowledge.

The indirect case for maca rests on two mechanisms. First, maca may support more stable hormonal signaling through FSH and LH normalization. Meissner et al. (2006) found that pre-gelatinized maca improved estradiol levels and FSH regulation compared to placebo in perimenopausal women. If maca smooths some of the sharp estrogen fluctuations that trigger hormonal headaches, some women might experience fewer headaches. But this is a hypothesis, not a confirmed finding.

Second, stress and cortisol dysregulation are common headache triggers. Stojanovska et al. (2015) showed that postmenopausal women taking maca experienced significant reductions in anxiety and diastolic blood pressure compared to placebo. Lower chronic stress burden and more stable blood pressure could reduce tension-type headaches for some women, even if the hormonal headache mechanism is not directly addressed.

Maca is available as a powder, capsule, or liquid extract. Studies have used doses of 1.5 to 3.5 grams per day. Talk to your healthcare provider about the right dose for your situation.

One practical note: if your headaches follow a pattern, tracking them carefully is the first and most valuable step. Note when they occur in relation to your cycle, your sleep, your stress levels, and what you ate and drank beforehand. PeriPlan can help you log these patterns daily, which gives you and your provider a much clearer picture of what is actually driving your headaches and whether any intervention is genuinely helping.

For perimenopausal headaches, the most evidence-supported approaches include identifying and avoiding personal triggers (common ones include alcohol, dehydration, disrupted sleep, and skipped meals), managing stress consistently, and working with your provider if headaches are frequent or severe. Magnesium supplementation has good evidence specifically for migraines and hormonal headaches, and your provider may discuss whether hormone therapy is appropriate if the pattern is clearly cycle-linked.

Those with thyroid conditions should discuss maca use with their provider before starting, as its glucosinolate content can affect thyroid function at higher doses. Hypothyroidism is itself a common cause of headaches, so ruling this out is worthwhile if headaches are a new or worsening symptom.

When to see a doctor: Any headache that is sudden, severe, and described as the worst headache of your life requires immediate emergency evaluation. Also seek prompt care for headaches accompanied by vision changes, facial numbness or weakness, confusion, or fever. New headache patterns in midlife always deserve a conversation with your healthcare provider to rule out other causes.

This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider about your specific situation.