I am Your Sunshine

In most people who have migraine, most attacks of migraine occur for no apparent reason. However, something may trigger migraine attacks in some people. Triggers can be all sorts of things. For example, foods, stress, wine, etc. For some women, migraines occur during periods. The actual cause of the trigger is thought to be the fall of the level of the hormone oestrogen. The blood level of this hormone falls just before a period. It is not a low level of oestrogen that is the trigger, but the fall from one level to another.

The strict definition of menstrual migraine is for the migraine to start anytime from two days before, to three days after the first day of a period. Also, that a migraines occurs around most (or all) periods. There are two types of patterns.

* Pure menstrual migraine is when migraine occurs only around periods, and not at other times. This occurs in about 1 in 7 women who have migraine.

* Menstrual-associated migraine is when migraines occur around periods, and at other times of the month too. About 6 in 10 women who have migraine have this type of pattern.

Symptoms usually improve if you become pregnant when there is a constant high level of oestrogen. As you approach the menopause, the migraines may become more frequent as the level of oestrogen tends to go up and down at this time. However, once past the menopause, you have a constant stable low level of oestrogen, and the number of migraines tends to reduce.

Women who take the combined contraceptive pill have a fall in oestrogen in the pill-free week between pill packets. This is when the period or ‘withdrawal bleed’ occurs. This fall in oestrogen may also trigger a ‘menstrual migraine’.

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i’m so cursed.