Menstrual Headache And Estrogen: Female Hormone Drops More Rapidly In Migraine Sufferers

Migraine more often occurs in women than in men. Many women also find that their menstrual cycle has an effect on their migraine with the so-called menstrual migraine being more severe.

The sex hormone estrogen has long been known to play a role in migraine but researchers have not been certain on how the link works.

Findings of a new study, however, have shown that the levels of estrogen in women with history of migraine may drop more rapidly in days just before their menstruation compared with their counterparts who did not suffer from migraine headaches. This suggests that there's a process that links estrogen withdrawal and menstrual migraine.

"These results suggest that a 'two-hit' process may link estrogen withdrawal to menstrual migraine," said study researcher Jelena Pavlovic, from Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

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