Causes and treatment of the development of menstrual migraines before the cycle

1 Etiology and pathogenesis

Menstrual-associated migraine is an extremely common phenomenon. The main reason for the development of this variant of headaches is the sharp jumps in sex hormones. As a rule, provoke severe headaches changes in the level of progesterone and estrogen. At present, the exact causes of the appearance of such headaches before the menstruation on the background of hormonal surges are unknown, but predisposing factors of this problem include a tendency to increased adhesion of platelets and hereditary predisposition.

Menstrual migraines can develop not only before the onset of menstruation. This condition is also often observed with the following factors:

• pregnancy;
• of lactation;
• menopause.

All these conditions lead to sharp jumps in the content of sex hormones, which causes intense headaches. The most intense pains are often observed during the ripening period, as the girls at this time have a very unstable hormonal background, and the cycle can constantly undergo changes until the body adapts to the new hormonal status. In most cases, as the hormonal background normalizes, headaches in adolescents appear less frequently and less frequently until they disappear completely. However, in some women migraines during menstruation may be observed for a longer time. In some cases, such manifestations disappear in women after the first birth, but in others, headaches before menstruation with varying degrees of intensity occur throughout life.

2 Symptomatic manifestations of

Menstrual migraine, coming before the menstrual period, is always associated with them. It is worth noting that in the overwhelming majority of cases, headaches in women occur immediately before menstruation, and can last from 4 to 72 hours. The pain is very intense. A characteristic sign of the onset of migraine is one-sided localization of pain. Pain in the head is of a pulsating nature. On a 10-point scale, pain can be assessed in the range of 5 to 9 points.

As a rule, when menstrual migraines develop, the pain syndrome may increase during even minimal physical exertion. In addition, the headache can be accompanied by additional symptomatic manifestations, for example, nausea, vomiting and general deterioration of well-being. Some women note on the background of a deteriorating state of health, attacks of nervousness and excessive stress. In rare cases, with menstrual migraine, which develops during menstruation, there may be seizures of light and phobia. Frequent seizures before menstruation are often combined with unpleasant pulling pains in the lower abdomen, which confirms the connection of headaches with menstruation.

3 Diagnosis and therapy

Confirmation of diagnosis is a significant complication. For the diagnosis, the doctor primarily conducts an anamnesis and specifies the characteristics of the pain and their frequency. About this form of migraine may indicate the presence of more than 5 episodes of development of severe headaches before menstruation. In some cases, doctors recommend that patients keep a diary to determine the intensity and duration of seizures. Treatment of migraine, which occurs in women before menstruation, involves taking drugs that can not only stop attacks, but also be used as a prophylaxis for new manifestations of this pathological condition. The drugs used to treat such headaches include:

1. Sumatriptan.
2. Elethriptan.
3. Zolmitriptan.
4. Ibuprofen.
5. Diclofenac.
6. Aspirin.
7. Digiergot.
8. Domperidone.
9. Sinkapton.
10. Metoclopramide.

The drug regimen and dosage are selected by the physician individually. Medicinal preparations according to the chosen scheme should be used no more than 10 days a month. In some cases, taking medication 3-5 days before the onset of menstruation is required to prevent the development of migraine. In addition, women prone to frequent migraine attacks need to constantly monitor hygiene and sleep duration, try to adhere to proper nutrition, and, if possible, exclude foods that provoke headaches. In some cases weight loss can be shown, since a significant fat layer contributes to the increase in the body of sex hormones.