Menstrual migraines
With women outnumbering men as migraine suffers, it should come as no surprise that many more physician-targeted publications are urging their readers to read up on the warning signs for menstrual migraines.
In the last year alone, neurologists, family practice physicians, gynecologists and obstetricians have seen articles like Recognition and Treatment of Migraine, Menstrually Related Migraine: Breaking the Cycle in Your Practice, Understanding the causes and prevention of menstrual migraine: the role of estrogen and Hormonal management of migraine associated with menses and the menopause run in their trade publications.
Nearly all of the articles cited claim that physicians need to be more vigilant in screening for this often underreported type of headache.
In my own personal experience, I have to admit that the physicians who I have seen who have been able to separate in their mind the differences between a regular PMS headache and a menstrual migraine have been few and far between.
What have been your experiences? I'd love to hear about them!
In the last year alone, neurologists, family practice physicians, gynecologists and obstetricians have seen articles like Recognition and Treatment of Migraine, Menstrually Related Migraine: Breaking the Cycle in Your Practice, Understanding the causes and prevention of menstrual migraine: the role of estrogen and Hormonal management of migraine associated with menses and the menopause run in their trade publications.
Nearly all of the articles cited claim that physicians need to be more vigilant in screening for this often underreported type of headache.
In my own personal experience, I have to admit that the physicians who I have seen who have been able to separate in their mind the differences between a regular PMS headache and a menstrual migraine have been few and far between.
What have been your experiences? I'd love to hear about them!
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Eileen Gray on -
Yeah, I mean I know the difference between a menstrual migraine and a headache. I told my neurologist and my OB/GYN that I get migraines around my period. I worked out an effective plan with both, which includes birth control for me (Jolessa, the generic Seasonale).
On this birth control, I get 4 periods a year, hence, less menstrual migraines! It's great! I've been on it now for 6 months and my migraine frequency is way down. I used to migraine for a week straight during this "time of the month" now I get one or two every three months (that's hormone related).
Also - Frova is my life saver! It's the only triptan I've taken that would touch those beasties!!!
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Permalink Reply by Ellen Schnakenberg on -
You know, Hindsight is always better than Foresight.
Looking back, I wonder if many of my migraines weren't hormonally related. I tried to tell my docs that they were, but to no avail. I was pretty naive at that point however, and didn't dig further.
My cycles were crazy. I went thru menopause 3 different times. (As if once weren't enough!) That doesn't count my trial of Zoladex that put me in chemical menopause for about 9 months. Finally did the hysterectomy thing out of desperation. It didn't help the attacks. :(
My migraine attacks didn't get better, but forgetting to put a new Vivelle patch on would mean a migraine in a very short time. This is partly what made me wonder if all these hormone fluctuations didn't tie in together somehow.
Learning about my thyroid helped a great deal, since that has been a major issue for me for most of my life. When I learned that can influence, to a very high degree, how your reproductive hormones are doing, the cogs started turning and I started playing 100 questions with my docs.
Perhaps my migraine attacks WERE hormonal, just not entirely reproductive in nature? Now there seems to be a concensus of yes!
It's difficult to get good advice in a short period of time when seeing a handful of specialists. OB/GYN has one thing to say, Endocrinologist has another, The Neurologist another. The GP knows they're connected, but doesn't really know enough about it to feel comfortable telling me much either way. Cortisol issues then come into play and the whole body is affected from one of the above to a degree that I was truly too much of a mess for anybody to do anything but make guesses. Enter the serious vitamin deficiencies from malabsorption issues and nobody really knows what was going on.
The hormonal stuff is beginning to smooth out a bit. The vitamin issues are still a bit rocky, tho adding some very simple things helped my attacks tremendously. They help also to determine your hormones, so I know they play a part, I'm just not smart enough or am seeing the right doc yet to get that part figured out.
Eileen, I'm really glad that the Frova and keeping the cycles down to 4 yearly has helped you. You're very lucky, but I don't think in the minority. I have heard from many women that don't know this is even an option for them and instead are grasping at chemicals with terrible side-effects and not having much success.
I wish more would be told of this treatment as an option for them.
Migraine is much more about patience than anything else.
Thanks for sharing this thread. I think most women migraineurs fall into this hole somewhere... and maybe the men too??
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