| I have been getting migraines in the 10 days or | | | | - Take paracetamol every day for the last 10 |
| so leading up to menstruation for years and | | | | days of your cycle or if you know exactly when |
| never really made the connection until I became | | | | you get your migraines, start taking it every day |
| peri-menopausal. Now a study has found a definite | | | | for a few days before and continue for up to |
| link between oestrogen and migraine (Dr Jan | | | | seven days afterward. |
| Lewis Brandes). | | | | - Taking paracetamol (or non-steroidal |
| Most of us get a headache every now and again. | | | | anti-inflammatory drugs) showed that a third of |
| But how do you know when your headache is a | | | | those women who had had very severe |
| migraine? | | | | menstrual migraine had no menstrual migraine |
| Typically migraine headache symptoms include | | | | during those attacks. There probably are a lot of |
| two of the following - headache on one side of | | | | women who use it as a strategy without doctors |
| the head, pain that's moderate to severe, and | | | | because they figured out that sort of pre-empting |
| feels throbbing or pulsing, or it is made worse by | | | | it can work well. And of course it works well in |
| ordinary activity. | | | | women who have abdominal cramping, pelvic pain |
| You only have to have two of those four pain | | | | with severe attacks. |
| characteristics to meet the clinical diagnostic | | | | - Drink soy milk or yoghurt rather than dairy. |
| criteria for the headache phase of a migraine. | | | | Soy contains natural phyto-oestrogens which helps |
| You will also have one of four symptoms which | | | | to increase the oestrogenal level that will help to |
| are nausea, and/or vomiting and sensitivity to | | | | even out the oestrogen fluctuations that triggers |
| light, (called photo phobia), and sensitivity to sound | | | | the migraine attacks. |
| (phono phobia). | | | | - Make sure you get at leats 7 hours sleep per |
| Here's some little-known secrets to managing | | | | night, but not more than 9 hours. |
| migraine headaches that are triggered by your | | | | Over sleeping or conversely, sleep deprivation can |
| fluctuating hormone levels: | | | | trigger migraine attacks. |