---
title: Do premenstrual headaches follow a regular pattern tied to the menstrual cycle?
description: Yes. Six women had severe throbbing headaches that regularly started six days before menstruation and lasted until the 2nd or 3rd day of their period, often w
url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-headache-relieved-by-estrogen-therapy1-1942/
---

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- Do premenstrual headaches follow a regular pattern tied to the menstrual cycle?

Study, 1942

# Do premenstrual headaches follow a regular pattern tied to the menstrual cycle?

Yes. Six women had severe throbbing headaches that regularly started six days before menstruation and lasted until the 2nd or 3rd day of their period, often with feelings of fear during the headaches.

 Early or limited evidence

Six women with premenstrual headache syndrome, including one described as a middle-aged, energetic woman.

## What they did

Case series of six women referred for menstrual-related problems who all had a similar pattern of premenstrual headaches.

## What they found

Patients experienced severe throbbing headaches that reliably began six days before menstruation and continued until the 2nd or 3rd day of menstrual flow. During these headaches, women also reported fears of impending catastrophe affecting themselves or their family.

## What it means for you

The study documented a consistent pattern linking premenstrual headaches to the menstrual cycle. The main limitation is that the abstract describes the headache pattern but does not explain whether the proposed estrogen therapy actually worked.

6

women studied

6 days

before menstruation when headache began

2-3 days

into menstrual flow when headache ended

## About the study

Original title Premenstrual Headache Relieved by Estrogen Therapy1 Authors Boris B. Rubenstein Journal The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism Year 1942 Study design Study Participants 6 What was tested Estrogen therapy (mentioned in the title but not detailed in the abstract). Read the paper [doi.org/10.1210/jcem-2-12-700](https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem-2-12-700)

## Topics

[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Estradiol, progesterone and hormone therapy](https://niyora.com/research/topics/treatment-hormone-therapy/)

Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits.

Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor.

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