OBJECTIVE This article reviews hormonal strategies used to treat headaches attributed to the menstrual cycle or to peri- or postmenopausal estrogen fluctuations. These may occur as a result of natural ovarian cycles, or in response to the withdrawal of exogenously administered estrogen. BACKGROUND A wide variety of evidence indicates that cyclic ovarian sex steroid production affects the clin...

OBJECTIVE To classify headaches as a function of the menstrual cycle and to contrast aspects relating to the reproductive cycle as a function of headache type. METHOD Participants responded to a structured questionnaire consisting of 44 questions. Detailed headache information, enabling the classification of headaches, and questions relating to the menstrual cycle were obtained. RESULTS The...

Background: The prevalence of migraine headaches significantly increased in girls after menarche. This indicated that there is a closely relation between hormonal changes especially the estrogen level with migraine headaches. Objectives: The aim of this work was to determine the frequency of migraine and its associated factors in medical students affected with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the presence of menstrual headaches prior to pregnancy according to the International Headache Society (IHS) classification criteria, 2004, and also study the outcome (frequency and intensity) of these pre-existing headaches during the gestational trimesters. METHOD This study involved 1,101 pregnant women (12 to 45 years old). A semi-structured questionnaire was used to...

BACKGROUND Many women with migraine experience a change in migraine frequency associated with the menstrual cycle. This study was undertaken to study the effect of vitamin E as a prophylactic agent on women with menstrual migraine. MATERIAL/METHOD During a placebo-controlled double-blinded trial, 72 women with menstrual migraine received placebo (identical in appearance to vitamin E) daily fo...

Migraine is the most common form of headache disorder globally. The etiology of migraine is multifactorial, with genetic components and environmental interactions considered to be the main causal factors. Some researchers postulate that deficits in mitochondrial energy reserves can cause migraine or an increase in homocysteine levels can lead to migraine attacks; therefore, vitamins could play ...

The suppression of cyclical ovarian activity and the creation of constant oestradiol levels in blood by subcutaneous oestradiol implants has been used to treat 24 patients with menstrual migraine for up to five years. Twenty-three patients improved with treatment, 20 (83%) became completely or almost completely headache-free. Regular monthly periods were induced with cyclical oral progestogens....