--- title: Can women accurately tell if they have period-related migraines, or do they need to track them? description: No. Women couldn't accurately tell if they had period migraines. Most needed to keep a daily headache diary for several cycles for accurate diagnosis. url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/validation-of-diagnostic-ichd-3-criteria-for-menstrual-migraine-2022/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Can women accurately tell if they have period-related migraines, or do they need to track them? Cohort study, 2022 # Can women accurately tell if they have period-related migraines, or do they need to track them? No. Women couldn't accurately tell if they had period migraines. Most needed to keep a daily headache diary for several cycles for accurate diagnosis. Strong study design 607 premenopausal women with migraine ## What they did A study of 607 women with migraine. Women reported whether they had period-related migraines, then kept detailed diaries of all headaches daily for several menstrual cycles. Researchers compared what women said to what their diaries showed and to standard medical diagnosis rules. ## What they found Women couldn't accurately report whether they had period migraines from memory. About two-thirds of women in both those who self-reported and those who didn't actually met medical criteria in their diary, showing self-reports were unreliable. Nearly all women with period migraines also had migraines at other times of the cycle. Pure period-only migraines were extremely rare, less than 1%. Women with true period migraines had longer attacks (37-50% longer) and took more pain medication during their period. ## What it means for you Women cannot reliably guess whether they have period migraines. A daily tracking diary is essential for accurate diagnosis. The main limit is that this study only included women who already had migraine. 607 Women studied 37-50% Longer period-related migraine attacks <1% Pure period-only migraines ## About the study Original title Validation of diagnostic ICHD-3 criteria for menstrual migraine Authors Verhagen IE, Spaink HA, van der Arend BW et al. Journal Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache Year 2022 Study design Cohort study Participants 607 What was tested Daily diary tracking to verify menstrual migraine diagnosis Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.1177/03331024221099031](https://doi.org/10.1177/03331024221099031) Original abstract Objective: To assess validity of ICHD-3 diagnostic criteria for menstrual migraine. Methods: We performed a longitudinal E-diary study in premenopausal women with migraine. Menstrual migraine diagnosis was self-reported at baseline, and verified according to diary based ICHD-3 criteria and a previous proposed statistical model. Validity of self-reported menstrual migraine was compared to diary based diagnosis and statistical diagnosis. Test-retest reliability and concordance between both methods were determined. Clinical characteristics of perimenstrual and non-perimenstrual migraine attacks were compared in women with and without menstrual migraine. Results: We included 607 women. Both women who did and women who did not self-report to suffer from menstrual migraine fulfilled ICHD-3 criteria in the E-diary in two thirds of cases. Pure menstrual migraine was extremely rare (<1%). Concordance between statistical and diary based diagnosis was minimal (κ = 0.28, 95% CI:0.23-0.33). Women diagnosed with menstrual migraine showed 37-50% longer attack duration and increased triptan intake (OR 1.19-1.22, p < 0.001) during perimenstrual attacks. Conclusion: Self-reported menstrual migraine diagnosis has extremely poor accuracy. Two thirds of women suffer from menstrual migraine, independent of self-reports. Pure menstrual migraine is rare. Women with menstrual migraine have longer attack duration and increased triptan intake during perimenstrual attacks, in contrast to women without menstrual migraine. Prospective headache (E-)diaries are required for a menstrual migraine diagnosis, also in clinical practice. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/) 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. ## Related studies Systematic review, 2023 What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy? Guideline, 2021 How should migraine be managed in women, particularly menstrual migraine? Randomised trial, 2016 Does telcagepant prevent migraines during the menstrual period? Randomised trial, 2014 Does the combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium reduce menstrual symptoms and migraine? Randomised trial, 2005 Does sumatriptan work for migraines around the menstrual cycle? Randomised trial, 2005 Are triptans effective for menstrual migraine? Ask AI about this page Copy prompt ChatGPT ↗ Claude ↗ Perplexity ↗ Google AI Mode ↗ Grok ↗