Why do we get a migraine before our period?

Our hormones are really quite incredible. But sometimes we just wish they would not cause such havoc in our bodies!

If we look at the natural 28 day menstrual cycle you can see that oestrogen and progesterone rise and fall throughout the cycle.

When it comes to menstrual migraine, it is thought that oestrogen and progesterone are though to be the main players (although we can't forget other hormones such as testosterone, cortisol and insulin).

Generally, menstrual migraine will occur in the premenstrual (or luteal) phase of the cycle, just before your period. Of course, it is common to experience other symptoms such as low mood, cravings, sore breasts and cramps here as well.

Ovulation is another time that hormonal migraine can appear, and you can see that oestrogen dips at this time too.

(Sometimes a migraine can appear during or just towards the end of a migraine as well, possibly due to the additional metabolic waste load at around that time).

Menstrual migraine can be extremely resistant to conventional medications such as hormonal birth control, painkillers and triptans. These are really more of a band-aid solution.

The good news is that there ARE things you can do about menstrual migraine.

In clinic, I treat menstrual migraine by looking for the root cause. This could be hormonal imbalance, but there can also be other drivers.