Cohort study, 2007
When do migraines and PMS symptoms occur during the menstrual cycle, and how are they related?
Both migraines and PMS symptoms follow similar timing during the menstrual cycle, peaking around the time of the menstrual period. This suggests they may share a common cause.
What they did
20 women with migraine tracked headaches and PMS symptoms daily for 3 consecutive months using an electronic diary. They rated 23 PMS criteria on a scale of 0 (no symptoms) to 3 (severe symptoms). The diary recorded the date and menstrual cycle day.
What they found
The women reported 2009 diary entries across 56 menstrual cycles. Headaches increased starting 5 days before the period, peaked 1 to 5 days after it started, and returned to normal by day 7. PMS symptom scores ranged from 2.4 to 12 daily. They peaked 6 days before to 2 days after the period started and returned to normal by day 8. The two conditions followed similar timing.
What it means for you
Migraines and PMS follow similar patterns during the menstrual cycle, suggesting a shared biological mechanism. Electronic diaries could help identify when migraines occur relative to menstrual symptoms. Main limitations: small sample (20 women) and no control group. Daily tracking is more reliable than retrospective reporting.
20
women with migraine
56
menstrual cycles tracked
days +1 to +5
peak headache timing
About the study
- Original title
- Evaluation of an electronic diary as a diagnostic tool to study headache and premenstrual symptoms in migraineurs
- Authors
- Goldberg J, Wolf A, Silberstein S et al.
- Journal
- Headache
- Year
- 2007
- Study design
- Cohort study
- What was tested
- Electronic diary tracking over 3 months
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2006.00441.x
Topics
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