allaboutmigraine.com

By nature, in the early stage of life, migraine usually occurs among boys rather than girls before they experience puberty. By the age of 12, when girls already have menstruation, they became more prone in suffering with migraine. This is the time wherein there is already hormonal imbalance among them that is why migraine attacks.

Some women prefer to take oral contraceptives to reduce pain. But the truth is, these cannot ease the pain thoroughly, in fact, this can trigger migraine more. This can even cause a stroke among women who take contraceptives. What an enlightening one! Visit womenshealth.about.com for more information.

According to www.headaches.org, there are 29.5 million Americans who experience the pain caused by migraine. And among these, the number of women who suffers from migraine dominates men. Based on the article in the mentioned site, women are more commonly affected with migraine three times than men. But why is it women are the usual victims?

Based on www.womenshealth.about.com, estrogen fluctuation among women can be the main reason why most of them suffer from migraine than men. We all know that part of women’s life is having menstruation; this is the time wherein migraine usually attacks because of the normal hormonal fluctuation experienced by them.

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For some, migraines are infrequent. On the other side of the spectrum are people who have frequent recurrences and whose lives can be debilitated by pain. Fortunately, progress is being made in migraine management. Although an individualized treatment approach is often necessary, most people can be helped.

Migraine headaches are severe, usually one- sided headaches that often occur with nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light or sound. People often describe migraine headaches as throbbing or piercing. The pain may range from mild to terribly severe.

Although migraine headaches are usually one- sided, there may be pain on both sides of the head. In some people, the pain may switch sides each time they have a migraine.

Migraine headaches sometimes occur with an aura, a group of symptoms that usually develop 5 to 30 minutes before a migraine begins. Visual disturbances, such as flashing lights, distortion, in the size or shape of objects, or blind or dark spots in your field of vision are the most common symptoms of an aura.

NSAIDs like Naproxen sodium (Aleve) or Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) have been effectively used to abort menstrual migraines. NSAIDs may be used 24 hours before the expected onset of menstrual migraine and be continued for the entire duration of the headache. One of the benefits of NSAIDs is relieving menstrual cramps as well since it has prostaglandins. Triptans have been found to be very effective in getting rid of menstrual migraines as well and controlling the associated nausea and vomiting. Dihydroergotamine or DHE can be used as a nasal spray or intramuscularly given or intravenously to terminate menstrual migraines. If the said medications are ineffective, doctors may try prescribing you daily preventive medications like beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and the likes.

How to treat menstrual migraines:

•you should take medications after the onset of menstrual migraine if you want to abort the pain
•in preventing menstrual migraine, you have to take medications before the onset of menstruation and should continue for the duration of the expected headache. Hormonal pills like estrogens or estrogen related medication helps in preventing migraines as well
•to reduce the frequency or duration of menstrual migraine, you should take prophylactic medication such as beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, anticonvulsants, tricyclic antidepressants that should be typically used on continuous basis to help prevent menstrual migraines

Taken from www.menstrualmigraine.org, these questions may help you determine if you suffer from menstrual migraines. If you have migraines around the time of your period and you answer “yes” to any of the following questions, see your healthcare provider to check if you may have menstrual migraine.

1) Does any woman in your family have migraines around the time of her period?
2) Are your migraines more severe during your period compared to other times?
3) Do your migraines usually last longer than 24 hours?
4) Does your migraine pain return within 24 hours of taking medication?
5) Do you take multiple doses of prescription migraine medication for the same migraine?
6) Do you take over-the-counter pain relievers in addition to migraine medication for the same migraine?

Menstrual Migraines are classified into two kinds: 1)Menstrually Related Migraine (MRM), and; 2) Pure Menstrual Migraine (PMM). A Menstrually Related Migraine is a headache of moderate-to-severe pain intensity that occurs during a certain time around the period and even at other times of the month while Pure Menstrual Migraine, on the other hand, occurs during the time around the period. What exactly causes Menstrual Migraine is still uncertain, but some studies claim that there appears to be a connection between changes in hormone levels around menstruation and migraine. Studies have revealed that it may have something to do with changes in hormone levels which usually happen right before the period starts. Also, in those women who are likely to suffer from migraine, this can act as a hormonal trigger.