Woman and Migraine. Well, it is period time that we will discuss here. Period is menstruation process that occurs monthly. Period is a famous trigger of migraine; one that is uniquely happens to women, as men do not experience it. During menstrual period, migraine is usually triggered by the low level of estrogen contained in the body. Low level of estrogen can also happen to pregnant women and women who are reaching menopause. There alternatives of cures for these types of migraines are; medications and oestrogen supplements.Monthly period is likely to start by the feeling of pain around the stomach which is caused by the changing activity of hormone oestrogen. Before the period starts, the level of this hormone in the blood stream falls to a lower level and this process can trigger migraine. Migraine that is triggered by mmenstruation can occur around two days before and/or three days after period.
Pregnant women can also suffer the symptoms of migraine on a high level, because during pregnancy, level of hormones, including estrogen, are fluctuating differently at different phases. In the case of women at the age of over 40, during the period of reaching menopause, migraine can attack more frequently because the level of estrogen becomes unstable. For some women this fluctuation process can be really painful, these women must even go to the hospital each month for special treatments from migraine.
Many pills of pain killer are consumed by women during the monthly period. As the symptoms of menstrual migraine are the same with any other migraine, the same treatments can be applied to overcome menstrual migraine. A few alternatives of medications for menstrual migraine are; painkillers, anti sickness and anti inflammatory painkillers. To diagnose menstrual migraine usually doctors ask the patient to take a note on the times when the attacks occur during the past three months. If we are likely to suffer migraine regularly or periodically then the rhythm of migraine will be shown. That way, if the migraine is really triggered by the menstrual cycle, we will know for sure how to treat it and the best medications to cure it.
The use of birth control pills can also be a trigger for migraine as it also distracts our hormones. When menstrual migraine takes place and we need to reduce the pain, we may use estrogen supplements in the form of patches or gel. Estrogen supplements will temporarily increase estrogen level in the body during the periods where it is supposedly at the lowest level, which is around the menstrual cycle. By sticking the patch or rubbing the gel on the skin, the hormone from the supplement will seep through our skin into our blood stream and increases the estrogen level. A higher level of estrogen will help us prevent ourselves from having migraine attacks.
Pre-menstrual syndrome and menstrual migraine can really ruin a woman’s day if not properly treated. Whenever the pain goes beyond normal, a doctor should be consulted to do a further diagnosis on the problem and patient’s condition. Actions also need to be taken in terms of self discipline in taking the medicine, doing exercise regularly according to doctor’s instructions and keeping a healthy eating and sleeping habits.