Non-randomised trial, 2010
How accurate are different methods for diagnosing menstrual migraine?
Different diagnostic methods identified different women as having menstrual migraine. The strictest method found fewer cases than the standard method, and 20% of women who thought they had menstrual migraines were not diagnosed by either method.
What they did
126 women who reported their migraines were linked to their period kept detailed headache diaries for 3 consecutive months. Two different diagnostic systems were used to determine which women actually had menstrual migraine.
What they found
Using the standard ICHD-II criteria, 73.8% were diagnosed with menstrually related migraine and 7.1% with pure menstrual migraine. A stricter probability-based method identified fewer women with a clear relationship between migraine and menses. About 20% of women who reported a link between migraines and their period were not diagnosed with menstrual migraine by either method.
What it means for you
Diagnosing menstrual migraine is complex because what women perceive as a link to their period does not always match what prospective diaries show. Different diagnostic methods give different answers. Detailed prospective diaries are needed to accurately diagnose menstrual migraine.
126
Women who kept 3-month headache diaries
73.8%
Diagnosed with menstrually related migraine
20%
Not diagnosed by either diagnostic method
About the study
- Original title
- A prospective comparison between ICHD-II and probability menstrual migraine diagnostic criteria
- Authors
- Marcus DA, Bernstein CD, Sullivan EA et al.
- Journal
- Headache
- Year
- 2010
- Study design
- Non-randomised trial
- Participants
- 126
- What was tested
- None
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2010.01627.x
Topics
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