Menstruation Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Menstruation, including details on menstrual cycle, pregnancy, pain, irregular menstruation.

Cluster headache in women: relation with menstruation, use of oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and menopause.

van Vliet JA, Favier I, Helmerhorst FM, Haan J, Ferrari MD

Department of Neurology, Medical Centre Haaglanden, The Hague, Netherlands.

In contrast with migraine, little is known about the relation between cluster headache and menstrual cycle, oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and menopause. A population based questionnaire study was performed among 224 female cluster headache patients, and the possible effect of hormonal influences on cluster headache attacks studied. For control data, a similar but adjusted questionnaire was sent to healthy volunteers and migraine patients. It was found that menstruation, use of oral contraceptives, pregnancy, and menopause had a much smaller influence on cluster headache attacks than in migraine. Cluster headache can, however, have a large impact on individual women, for example to refrain from having children.

Published 14 April 2006 in J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 77(5): 690-2.
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