Subject: Correlation between menstruation and migraines?
From: bjw@sei.cmu.edu (Barbara White)
Date: 1996/10/10



I've had horrible headaches that usually bring on
nausea/vomitting about once a month, sometimes more often.
The headaches last for about 3 days, though sometimes a few
days after the first one backs down, another round might hit.

When I have the headaches, I can sleep only in 1-2 hour
periods and I can barely work with them so I tend to miss
work when I've got the symptoms. When the headache is at its
worse, nausea/vomitting set in. That usually lasts for 2 out
of the 3 days.

I'm sometimes light sensitive during the headaches, but this
doesn't happen regularly. My vision is otherwise unaffected
although in August, I saw green and white spots during the
worst of the headache. I am definitely sensitive to smells
when I have the headaches--anything with perfume brings on
the nausea in a flash. Over-the-counter drugs are
ineffective. If I can hold them down, 1000mgs of Tylenol
doesn't help.

I've recently realized that for the last several months at
least, the onset of the horrible headache coincides with the
onset of my menstrual flow. I can't correlate the headaches
to anything else...not dehydration or foods like cheese,
which I do eat occasionally, but which don't seem to coincide
with the headaches. I don't drink.

My questions:

1. Are there known correlations between migraines and menstruation?

2. How can I get my HMO to treat this seriously? What should
I ask my doctor to do? (I've just made an appointment for
this afternoon and I have this feeling that they're just not
going to do anything.)

3. How do you differentiate between sinus headaches and
migraine headaches? I have long since suspected that these
were/are sinus headaches, but a friend in the healthcare
field said that she thought that migraines and menstruation
were related. That's when I plotted out the headaches
against my cycle and that's when I realized the coincidence.)


If you have any other information, please pass it along.