Migraines may result from hormonal changes. The symptoms, causes, and therapies for menstrual migraine are here.
If you have migraines at the same time every month, it's not a coincidence. Hormonal changes may trigger migraines.
Menstrual migraine episodes occur between two and three days before and after your menstruation. Disabling and long-lasting assaults are possible.
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Symptoms Of Menstrual Migraine
A menstrual migraine episode has comparable symptoms to other migraines. Common symptoms of menstrual migraine include:
- neck pain (typically on one side of the head)
- vomiting sensitivity to lights and noises
- vision changes
Menstrual periods affect two out of three migraine sufferers. Menstrual migraines may occur with or without aura. Aura is rare during menstrual migraine bouts.
Menstrual migraine sufferers may experience migraine episodes at different times of the month.
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Causes Of Menstrual Migraine
Hormonal fluctuations trigger migraines just before menstruation. Estrogen is the major hormone linked to menstrual migraines. The levels of the sex hormone estrogen change when a woman goes through her monthly menstrual cycle. The peak of your estrogen production occurs around ovulation, and the trough occurs during your period.
Menstrual migraines are thought to originate from a lack of serotonin in the body, brought on by the reduction in estrogen that happens right before your period starts. Migraines have also been linked to low serotonin levels in the body.
Menstrual migraine is poorly understood, and further study is required to identify the underlying physiological causes.
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Menstrual Migraine Treatment
Migraine drugs that help with other types of migraines aren't usually effective against menstrual migraines. The reason for this is unclear; however, it may be due to estrogen's interaction with the medications' molecules.
Some people may get relief with a triptan and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). However, if it doesn't work, there are choices.
In some cases, the estrogen decline may be mitigated by using an estrogen supplement such as a tablet, vaginal gel, or patch during the week of your period. This is most effective for people with regular menstrual cycles and less so for unpredictable ones. It has also been found that magnesium alleviates the migraines associated with menstruation.
One research found that those who began taking magnesium supplements 15 days before their period and remained doing so until the beginning of their next period had fewer migraine days.
Mini-prevention is an additional technique for preventing menstrual migraines. This is when you start taking medicine every day for five to seven days before your period is due to begin. Some people find that taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) twice a day helps prevent or lessens the severity of migraine attacks, making them more amenable to treatment with triptans. Women who have regular periods will benefit the most from this method.
Dosing with triptans as a kind of "mini-prevention" has also been the subject of research. During this time, a woman will take two triptans in the days leading up to her period. Migraine episodes during menstruation may be lessened or avoided using this technique. If you utilize this strategy, be wary about taking triptans outside of your monthly cycle.
Can Avoiding A Period Help Prevent Menstrual Migraine Attacks?
Another method of controlling menstrual migraine is avoiding menstruation altogether by using hormonal birth control with estrogen and progestin. Migraine sufferers with aura have a greater risk of stroke, making this approach safer for individuals without aura.
To avoid your period, just skip the placebo pills and take the real pills continually. This avoids the monthly hormonal fluctuations and monthly drops in estrogen that are thought to trigger menstrual migraines. If your doctor recommends this, you probably won't get your period. Some instances of spotting are conceivable.
In addition to hormonal birth control, your doctor may recommend wearing a vaginal ring. This vaginal ring is made of plastic and contains little estrogen that is released continuously.
