Menstrual Migraines

Menstral Migraines

Menstrual migraines...

Migraine headaches are defined as a sensation of a severe pain in either one, or both, of the sides of the head. Most commonly, the pain is located in the front on the head (around the temples) or behind the eyes or ears.

Additional symptoms of migraines include nausea, vomiting, and sensitivity to light and/or sound.

A menstrual migraine is found to occur once a month, and with a regular pattern of occurring between a few days before the beginning of menses, through the end of that particular menstrual cycle.

This condition is found to affect about a quarter percent of menstruating women.

Causes

The cause of menstral migraines is not known for certain, but it is proposed that they may be caused by a drop in estrogen level, which occurs at the completion of the menstrual cycle.

It has also been suggested a menstrual migraine may be the result of using birth control pills.

In this case, it is often found that the migraine occurs during the 7-day period of sugar pills, during which the menstrual cycle is allowed to take place.

While the decrease in hormone level is thought to be the main cause of menstrual migraines, there are other possible contributing factors.

All of these factors are due to the current condition of the body, during the menstrual cycle.

These include the following: improper functioning of platelets (cells in the blood stream that assist in blood clotting and are also responsible for carrying serotonin); a drop in the level of magnesium in the brain (which is found to cause an increase in brain excitability); a decrease in the naturally occurring endorphins (the bodies own pain reducers) in the brain; and an increase in the production of secretions from the prostaglandins (substances that are found to cause heightened sensations in pain receptors and cause inflammation of the blood vessels that lead to the brain).

Treatments

The use of low doses of estrogen from the period of about two days prior to the beginning of menses, through the length of the individual women’s menstrual flow, has been found to alleviate occurrence of menstral migraines.

Some additional treatments are also used to prevent development of, or reduce the symptoms of, menstrual migraine headaches.

Current clinical research studies are examining whether or not Triptans prove to be effective in reducing the ir occurrence and severity.

Additionally, regular pain management with NSAIDs (such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium), either alone or combination with an analgesic (acetaminophen or aspirin), help reduce the effects of the menstrual cycle itself, and, therefore, may reduce the effects of this type of migraine.

Available non-medicinal treatments

For those who wish to use a different approach, there are several lifestyle changes that can be used to help avoid development of menstrual migraines.

The most common factors that are found to contribute to the development of menstral migraines include, but are not limited to, stress, substances such as wine or coffee, skipping medications, and changes in sleep pattern.

An effort to avoid these types of triggers, during the same time period that menstrual migraines are thought to develop, may help to decrease occurrence and severity.

Natural Remedies

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