Common Symptoms

What Does It Feel Like?

Period migraines are more than just headaches. They are accompanied by various symptoms, and understanding of the symptoms properly helps in encountering them properly.

Menstrual migraines begin as:

1. One-sided throbbing headache

2. Accompanied by nausea/vomiting

3. Increased sensitivity to bright lights and sounds

Period migraines are found to be more severe and longer-lasting than migraines due to other triggers. They also tend to occur without aura symptoms (visual disturbances that set in an hour before the migraine attack).¹

According to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3), the diagnostic criteria of menstrual migraine is:

1. The timing of attacks in relation to menstruation: they should occur during the menstrual window, i.e., the 5 days starting two days before the onset of menstruation until the third day of bleeding (i.e., day 1±2); and

2. The frequency of attacks in relation to menstruation: attacks should be present in at least two out of three consecutive menstruations.

3. Menstrually related migraines: can also occur at other times of the cycle, but pure menstrual migraines occur only around the time of periods.²

What are the common symptoms?

Some of the common symptoms of period migraines are:

1. Sensitivity to light and sound

2. Throbbing pain on one side of the head

3. Nausea

4. Vomiting

5. Chills

6. Sweating

7. Pale skin

8. Dizziness

9. Blurry vision

10. Lack of coordination

WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON EVERYDAY LIFE?

1. Migraine attacks occurring during the menstrual cycle impair the ability to engage in social, physical, household, and academic activities, often hindering the fulfillment of professional commitments.³

2. Headache frequency, the impact of headache on daily life, depression symptoms, social support, and suicidal ideation were significantly associated with health-related quality of life in menstrual migraine patients.

References

1. Vetvik KG, MacGregor EA. Menstrual migraine: a distinct disorder needing greater recognition. The Lancet Neurology. 2021 Apr 1;20(4):304-15.

2. Moy G, Gupta V. Menstrual-Related Headache. InStatPearls [Internet] 2022 Oct 4. StatPearls Publishing.

3. Al-Qahtani Z, Narapureddy BR, Reddy LK, Asiri HY, Alsulami AA, Hassan NK, Shawkhan RA, Hamood NA, Almahdi HA, Al Qasim YY, Al Majbar YA. Study to Determine the Prevalence of Menstrual Migraine in Reproductive-Age Women in Saudi Arabia. InHealthcare 2024 Jan 25 (Vol. 12, No. 3, p. 317). MDPI.