It's all in the hormones. During menstrual migraine, women experience excruciating headaches due to fluctuating levels in the female hormone, called estrogen.
"As estrogen drops in the days leading up to a menstrual period, a woman's risk for migraine rises," Anna Almendrala, Huffington Post Senior Healthy Living Editor said. Almendrala adds that a possible reason is because estrogen aids the brain's perception of pain.
According to WebMD, estrogen levels are reduced at the onset of menstruation. Also, migraines before menstruation occur as estrogen and the other female hormone progesterone are reduced to their lowest levels.
Suffer from #headaches during your period? Tips on treatment & prevention from @rashmihalker #menstrualmigraine https://t.co/Ddzax2qv4w
— Mayo Women's Health (@WHMayoClinic) April 20, 2016
What To Do When You Have A Regular Cycle
Treatment and prevention of menstrual migraines hinges on the type of migraines a woman experiences, Dr. Rashmi Halker said in an interview with Huffington Post. Halker is an assistant professor of neurology at the Mayo Clinic Arizona and a fellow at the American Headache Society.
Women should find out patterns through a menstruation diary where one notes when the period and the migraines begin. If both are predictable, Halker said that it is possible to work with a doctor and take preventive pain medication.
"If a woman has very predictable, regular cycles and she has a very predictable headache that comes on with her menstrual cycle, sometimes we use a 'mini-prevention' around that vulnerable period," Halker said.
Estrogen supplements, which have to be prescribed by a doctor, may also prove to be helpful. "There's some evidence that using the gel around the menstrual cycle can be helpful," Dr. Halker said.
Huffington Post recommends women with predictable migraines and who take birth control pills to ask their doctor if they can refrain from taking sugar pills. This way, their estrogen levels stay high.
Tips For Women Who Have Irregular Cycles
For women who have irregular cycles, menstrual migraine is treated like any other migraine. Still, having a diary can be helpful in showing how serious the migraine is or whether your medication is working.
Veering away from migraine triggers as the menstrual period would be of great help. The Mayo Clinic said that beside hormonal changes, triggers include salty and processed food, food additives, alcohol, stress, bright lights, change in sleeping patterns, intense physical activity, weather changes and some types of medication.
