Do women with migraine have higher estrogen levels?

via time.com

"Researchers have long known that sex hormones such as estrogen play a role in migraine. But there's been little research on how that works. Do women with migraine have higher estrogen levels in general? Higher levels at the peak of the monthly cycle?

Research published in the June 1, 2016, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, shows that, for women with a history of migraine, estrogen levels may drop more rapidly in the days just before menstruation than they do for women who do not have migraine history. For other hormone patterns, there were no differences between women with migraine and women who did not have migraine.

The study also showed that the women with a migraine history had a faster rate of estrogen decline regardless of whether they had a migraine during that cycle.

"These results suggest that a 'two-hit' process may link estrogen withdrawal to menstrual migraine. More rapid estrogen decline may make women vulnerable to common triggers for migraine attacks such as stress, lack of sleep, foods and wine," said study author Jelena Pavlovi?, MD, PhD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, NY, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology..."

Learn More:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160601163522.htm

How to manage migraine during pregnancy and lactation

Credit: nytimes.com

"According to doctors at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, medications and treatments long considered safe to treat pregnant women with migraines may not be.

"We hope this review of medical treatments will serve as a guide for doctors and patients on how to interpret new findings, especially regarding four treatment options that doctors have commonly used for their pregnant patients with migraines," said Rebecca Erwin Wells, M.D., assistant professor of neurology at Wake Forest Baptist and lead author of the paper.

"Patients and doctors need to be aware that concerns exist and they should carefully weigh the risks and benefits of these treatments."

The review is published in the online issue of the journal Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports.

The four treatment options of concern are:

- Magnesium. Previously considered one of the safest supplements that could be used during pregnancy it is now rated at level D by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), meaning that it may not be safe.

- Ondansetron. It is not FDA approved for migraines but is frequently used off-label to treat the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy and migraines. Use during pregnancy has recently become a controversial issue due to concerns over fetal and maternal safety, but the data is not conclusive.

- Acetaminophen. More than 65 percent of pregnant women in the United States report using it, but recent evidence suggests possible links between maternal acetaminophen use and pediatric development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder..."

Read more here:

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2016-03-migraine-pregnancy-lactation.html