As if your periods were not painful and uncomfortable enough, there’s also this added discomfort of a migraine. If you’ve been noticing severe bouts of headache before or during your periods, it could be a menstrual migraine.
The good news is, even if you cannot completely stop it from happening, you can definitely manage it better.
Why Does It Happen?
As your periods approach, the levels of estrogen go down and act as trigger for migraine. In most cases of menstrual migraine attack, you’ll start experiencing symptoms about two to three days before your periods are due. While it does not affect everyone, it is not rare either.
Can You Stop Them Completely?
The challenge with menstrual migraine is that, even if a migraine medicine works at other times, it might not reduce the pain and symptoms of a menstrual migraine.
Preventing It Is Easier Than Treating The Pain
Even though these types of migraine attacks are difficult to cure, you can definitely try and prevent it.
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- Write down the date when you feel the first signs of the migraine attack approaching. This will help you understand if you get it before or during the periods and will let you stay prepared the next time.
- Write down the details about the attack. For how many days do you have it? Is the pain severe or comes and goes? What other symptoms do you have?
- Speak to your doctor about taking medications that may ease the symptoms before the migraine kicks in. In some cases, using prescribed pain killers before the pain actually starts can help to prevent it or at least tone down the severity.
- Ask your doctor about a magnesium supplement. Researchers believe that low levels of magnesium during periods could also be a reason, so taking a prescribed supplement may help.
- Take care of your sleep and diet. Not sleeping enough can often trigger a migraine attack. If you are already aware of food triggers that cause you migraine, stay away from those.
Keep a note on triggers that cause the pain, as managing it before it kicks in will always help more than trying to treat it once the pain arrives.
DISCLAIMER: While we have taken steps to check the accuracy of information & practices shared here; it is not a replacement for a doctor’s opinion. it is important to first always check with your own doctor before trying any medication, practice or suggestion from this site.
