How does Hormonal Migraine Start?
Hormonal migraine is treated as a type of migraine. Hormones are the triggering factors in most of the women. For this reason, there is an increase in migraines during menstruation. The diagnosis of hormonal migraine is mostly used for people who suffer from migraine attacks only during their menstrual period.
In women, hormones change during their monthly cycle. Ovulation occurs and the hormone progesterone increases if pregnancy does not occur. Progesterone level suddenly falls after two weeks of intense growth. Bleeding occurs within 48 hours of the progesterone drop. While the level of oestrogen is minimum in this period, it increases after bleeding. Sudden changes in hormones are thought to be the cause of migraine and even hormone therapies have been tried, but it hasn’t been possible to keep migraines under control.
The sharp changes in hormones is not the real cause of migraine. It is only a trigger. If the patient has hormonal imbalance and predisposition to migraine, it initiates migraine. Externally introduced hormones distort the balance more and can cause menstruation migraine to start, worsen the existing one or cause it to be more frequent. This is common among women who use morning after pills or period delay tablets. Even if used only once, contraception pills can also initiate migraine.
Hormonal Imbalance, Hormonal Migraine
Hormonal imbalance is common in women who experience migraine. Despite being accepted as normal in general, premenstrual syndrome (PMS) actually is caused by hormonal imbalance.
PMS is notable for being extra sensitive and tense, touchiness, showing tendency to cry, irritability along with fluctuations of moods such as depression, tendency to oversleep, losing interest in surroundings. Swelling and tenderness of breasts, edema and fluid retention can be experienced. Nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea, excessive thirst, alcohol intolerance, increased appetite and sexual desire may also occur. Some women can also break out in rashes the reason of which cannot be explained. In fact this is a sign of hormonal imbalance. It is not a usual pattern of women.
Hormonal Migraine Treatment
The hormonal imbalance in these patients must absolutely be corrected. Along with neural therapy, dental-jaw interference fields affecting the pituitary glands must be examined. Patients should also be advised not to take hormone medicines such as birth control pills.