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Essential Information On Migraines And Women |
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Studies have concluded that estrogen withdrawal is a
key factor in migraines related to menstrual cycles. Twenty-five to
thirty percent of all women in their 30s experience at least an
occasional migraine.
Menstrual migraines generally last longer than non-menstrual migraines and
often are much more difficult to treat effectively. Sixty to seventy percent
of women who suffer from migraines have menstrual-related migraine.
Ten to fourteen percent of women with migraines have them
only during menstruation. These types of headaches are known as ‘true
menstrual migraine’.
Premenstrual migraine may in fact be part premenstrual syndrome (PMS),
the menstrual related mood disorder. Symptoms of PMS include fatigue,
irritability or depression, bloating and, yes, headache.
Two-thirds of women who suffered from pre-menopausal migraines find their
condition improve with physiologic menopause. On the other hand, it has
been found that surgical menopause worsens migraine conditions in two-thirds
of cases.
Migraine attacks usually disappear during pregnancy. At the same time, however,
some women report an initial onset of migraines during the first
trimester of pregnancy, with the disappearance of their headaches after
the third month of pregnancy.
Treatment options for menstrual migraine
When choosing to treat menstrual migraines with medication, the drugs used most
often are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs). The NSAIDS of
choice in treating menstrual migraines are:
ketoprofen (Orudis)
ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin)
fenoprofen calcium (Nalfon)
naproxen (Naprosyn)
nabumetone (Relafen)
For best results when using NSAIDs to treat migraines, usage should be started two to three
days before menstrual flow actually begins and the therapy should be
continued throughout the period. Gastrointestinal side effects are
generally not serious enough to be considered because the therapy takes
place over such a short period, no pun intended.
For patients who suffer from more severe menstrual migraines or who desire to continue
taking oral contraceptives, doctors also recommend taking a NSAID. This
therapy should begin l9th day of your cycle and continue through the
second day of the next cycle.
Some women have found antinausea medicine and pain relievers like aspirin,
ibuprofen or acetaminophen sufficient enough to dull the pain. Others trust
in analgesics or serotonin agonists such as Imitrex, Zomig, Amerge or Maxalt.
When using medications, it is extremely important to be aware of the dangers of
avoiding a repetitive pattern of medication or overuse of medication as
this can cause rebound headaches.
You might also consider using an estrogen skin patch. This treatment is utilized
in the days leading up to your period and may either delay or actually prevent
the onset of a menstrual migraine.
Some studies have found that daily doses of magnesium may help menstrual migraines
in certain women. In addition, vitamin and herbal treatments have been found to be
effective. The herb feverfew or vitamin B2 when taken on a daily basis may reduce
Either the severity or the frequency of headaches, though research does not point to
menstrual migraines in particular.
Even though two-thirds of women do report improvement in their migraine condition
with the onset of natural menopause, two-thirds of women report a
worsening with surgical, therefore neither a hysterectomy nor an ovarian
removal are recommended.
As always, you should consult your physician for a proper diagnosis before
discontinuing or launching on kind of new treatment, including over-the-counter
medication treatments.
Every
person has a unique health profile that includes aspects specific to
their physiology and family history and that may preclude them from
taking certain medications.
Some final tips
There enough different migraine triggers to fill a book and keeping track of them can
be a full time job. It is highly recommended that you keep a trigger
diary that includes a record of foods you eat, weather conditions,
medications you have taken, stressful events, menstrual activity, etc.
Also of benefit is developing a plan around your period. Reduce stress as
much as possible by planning work and leisure commitments around your
cycle so as to cut back on menstrual-related triggers as much as
possible.
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