Menstrual Tension Headache coexists with migraine
I'm 36 and I found myself suffering from both menstrual-related migraine without aura and tension headache 1 or 2 days before menstruation.
I usually gets migraine without aura 1-2 times a week,which lasts 1 to 3 days, and tension headache 3-4 times a week for 12 to 36 hours. And I gets a migraine attack every time before the menstruation, always the worst attack in the whole month.
But I found my tension headache coexists with menstrual migraine for the last 2 month. It seems that menstruation starts to trigger my migraine. Every time I can feel the pain starts at the right temple, then spreads left, from my forehead and my eyes to my left temple eventually. The pain is dull at first, soon it becomes throbbing, pulsing. It's also like a short headband tightening all over the front and both sides of my head. It's hard to tell them apart. Both kinds of pain seems worse than usual,totally 8-9 out of 10. I am still sensitive of light and sounds. I gets nausea and vomit several times. The attacks lasts more than 2 days. I can not go to work or even sleep .Medicine seems be to not helpful. I tried to have sex with my boyfriend, it just gets worse. The only way to relieve my pain is to press my both temples hard, looks stupid, but helpful, one temple for the same side pain.
Menstrual migraine is common. But does anyone gets tension headache in the menstruation?
Hi fightinglady,
Thank you for sharing your story with us and being part of our discussion forum. Your girlfriend is lucky to have a caring, compassionate boyfriend.
Unfortunately it's possible to have more than one type of headache disorder, which many of us experience. So I would say yes to your question about having menstrual migraine and tension type headache at the same time.
I did want to mention some women find taking Frova, a triptan, just before and during their cycle is very helpful in reducing attacks. Let me share that information with you here; https://migraine.com/blog/short-term-option-for-migraine-prevention-frova/.
I hope that helps,
NancyOne thing that helped me (and this solution may not be for everyone) was that my gynocologist put me on a progestin only birth control pill at a dosage that it stopped my periods entirely. Sometimes the regular progestin-only pill does that, too (I think for 1/3 of women, my doctor said, just not me.) I take a slightly higher dosage because of breakthough bleeding. When my periods ceased, so did my menstrual-related migraines. I still get migraines for the other typical reasons (weather, food, light, sound, sleep irregularities, etc).
