Why Women Get Dizziness, Vertigo, and Headaches
October 21, 2026 • Season 4: Episode 41
Dizziness is one of the most misunderstood symptoms we hear about, and the word itself can hide the real story. Speaking of Women's Health Podcast host Dr. Holly Thacker walks through how women describe dizziness in totally different ways like spinning vertigo, lightheadedness, near-fainting, and migraine-related imbalance and why that distinction changes what we do next.
She connects the dots between migraine headaches and women’s hormone shifts across the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, and menopause. She explains classic migraine signs (one-sided pulsing pain, light and sound sensitivity, nausea) plus the phases people rarely get warned about: prodrome, aura, and the postdrome “hangover.” She also talks about cervicogenic headaches that start in the neck and can be mistaken for migraine, which is one reason physical therapy can be a game changer when meds aren’t helping.
Then Dr. Thacker gets practical about benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), a common inner ear disorder caused by displaced calcium crystals that can make the room spin when you roll over in bed or tip your head back. She breaks down why falls and head trauma can trigger BPPV, what symptoms to watch for (including nausea and nystagmus), and why canalith repositioning maneuvers and vestibular physical therapy are often the fastest path to relief. She also covers medical red flags like chest pain, irregular heartbeat, severe or sudden headache, or stroke-like symptoms and when you should call 911.
Helpful links from physical therapist Vince Whalen:
