For three long years Claire O’Meara put her regular, excruciating migraines down to the stress of her high-flying career in sports marketing. Long hours spent at her computer, plus business trips abroad were surely responsible for triggering the searing headaches that made it feel as though her head was being gripped in a vice. ‘I was 30 when the migraines began, randomly at first, but then they came every month,’ says Claire, 35, who lives in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with her husband Brendan, 42, a fitness centre owner. ‘I blamed my career and lifestyle. At work, I’d have to sit in a dark room and shut my eyes as the pain was all-consuming. Sometimes, the migraines would wipe me out for a week. Claire O’Meara (pictured) used to put her regular, excruciating migraines down to the stress of her high-flying career in sports marketing . ‘Despite being a virtual workaholic, there were times I was unable to function and would have to phone in sick, which left me feeling terribly guilty.’ Things got so bad that last year Claire gave up her job to work part-time for her husband, helping to market his firm. But then Claire had an epiphany when she began keeping a diary of her headaches — her migraines were linked to her menstrual cycle. ‘I noticed they always came the day before my period, and it was a relief to finally realise what the trigger was. ‘It altered the way I tried to deal with them. I took advice, mapped out my cycles, and upped my dosage of magnesium (said to regulate hormones) and took over-the-counter drug Migraleve to try to prevent a migraine coming on 24 hours before I knew my period was due. This has staved off a full-blown migraine for the last few months.’ Claire is not the only woman suffering from this commonly misdiagnosed side-effect of the menstrual cycle. Claire (pictured after a migraine) gave up her job to work part-time for her husband last year when the migraines got really bad . According to charity the National Migraine Centre, a staggering 50 per cent of women suffer menstrual migraines immediately before, during or just after their period. But, like Claire, very many don’t make the connection between the two for years — and neither do their GPs. Online forums are awash with women discussing the ‘lightbulb moment’ they finally realised their cycle was to blame. Although migraines are an age-old problem, the diagnosis of specific menstrual migraines is a modern phenomenon, following extensive research over the past 25 years. Professor Anne MacGregor, a leading specialist in headaches and women’s health, says: ‘The most common cause is a drop in oestrogen towards the end of the cycle. This hormone is released at the start of it, and levels rise, eventually triggering ovulation and an egg’s release. Claire (pictured) has seen various GPs and doctors about her severe migraines but none have been able to come up with a treatment that has worked completely . ‘Progesterone is released and prepares the womb lining for a fertilised egg. If pregnancy doesn’t occur, both levels drop and cause a period. ‘It’s this sudden drop that triggers a migraine as the body deals with the hormone withdrawal.’ She says hormones used in contraceptives, such as the Pill, coil and patch put all women of menstruating age at risk — but those in their 30s and 40s more so. ‘This is because hormone levels fluctuate more in the years building up to the menopause, mean ing the drop in oestrogen and therefore withdrawal symptoms are greater,’ she reveals. ‘Traditional headache remedies don’t work. This is why we’d like to see greater diagnosis, so women can get the right treatment.’ Claire’s work was not the only thing that suffered. She often found herself saying to Brendan: ‘Not tonight, darling, I’ve a headache’ — and meaning it. ‘Thank goodness he’s very understanding,’ she says. Her social life was often wrecked, too: ‘I’ve had to regularly cancel social engagements, including a close friend’s baby shower.’ Claire saw various doctors: her GP, another for a second opinion, plus a consultant — but none came up with a treatment that worked completely. ‘All they suggested was that I take Migraleve, but until I started taking it as a preventative measure it did nothing to help me.’ Dr Jud Pearson, at the National Migraine Centre, advises patients who suspect their headaches may be menstruation-related to start keeping a diary like Claire. ‘I think women have always suspected they have menstrual migraines but doctors have not always believed them until now. ‘Now, however, there is a growing awareness of the condition, which means more women are finally being diagnosed.’ Marie Brown 47, a dental company sales consultant living in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, has had migraines for more than a decade, but only found out two years ago they were linked to her menstrual cycle, thanks to the migraine diary she was keeping. Marie Brown, 47, (pictured) has also suffered from severe migraines for more than ten years but only discovered two years ago that they are related to her periods . She reveals: ‘The first migraine I suffered was in my late 30s, and even going from bed to bathroom caused agonising pain in my head. There were times I wondered whether the headaches were a symptom of something horribly sinister, such as a brain tumour.’ Only when the migraines became a monthly occurrence, at age 44, did Marie made the connection. She now has a supply of the migraine drug Sumatriptan on hand to take on her ‘danger’ days to prevent attacks. ‘It was such a relief to finally find something that worked for me. But if I don’t take a tablet in time, the ensuing migraine is hell.’ Even with the medication, she still plans her social life and work meetings around her periods. ‘I deliberately don’t book anything for the week of my period, as on so many occasions I’ve had to bolt when a migraine has started. Marie (seen here age 27) uses medication to combat the headaches but still has to plan her social life and meetings around her periods . ‘Last New Year’s Eve I had to abandon dinner with my partner and go to bed at 10pm, when one came on. ‘Unlike most women, I’m actually longing for the menopause in the hope that once my periods stop, so too will the migraines.’ For Sarah Rose, 31, a special educational needs support assistant who lives in Croydon, Surrey, with partner Paul, 33, a sales manager, and their son Jack, two, the severity of monthly menstrual migraines was so great last Easter that her GP sent her to A&E fearing she had a bleed on the brain. ‘I spent five days in hospital on morphine. A CT scan ruled out anything sinister, but I had felt as though my head would literally explode. It was so frightening, all I could think was my lovely little boy needs his mummy and what if something serious was happening to me?’ Marie (pictured) suffered her first migraine in her late 30s, but they became a monthly occurrence when she reached 44, at which point Marie connected the pain to her menstrual cycle . However, unlike many other women, Sarah has suffered from menstrual migraines for all of the years of her adult life. ‘I first had the headaches at school but blamed exam stress for them. They worsened at university and my GP sent me to a neurologist. ‘He diagnosed migraines, but didn’t link them to my cycle. ‘It wasn’t until I was talking to my great aunt, now in her 80s five years ago, that I realised the cause. She said she used to suffer terrible migraines during her period and suspected this was my problem, too. ‘After that, I used the Period Tracker Deluxe mobile phone app to record my symptoms and periods and, sure enough, a pattern soon emerged. ‘Subsequently I also tried homeopathy, specifically a herbal remedy called sepia, which is supposed to help problems associated with your period problems.’ Sarah is an extreme case. But, for many women, the stark facts are that a migraine is another monthly misery they have to endure.
Claire O’Meara, 35, put her headaches down to the stress of her career .
Things got so bad that last year Claire gave up her job to work part-time .
Marie Brown, 47, has suffered from migraines for over a decade .
She kept a diary and realised they were linked to her menstrual cycle .
For three long years Claire O’Meara put her regular, excruciating migraines down to the stress of her high-flying career in sports marketing. Long hours spent at her computer, plus business trips abroad were surely responsible for triggering the searing headaches that made it feel as though her head was being gripped in a vice. ‘I was 30 when the migraines began, randomly at first, but then they came every month,’ says Claire, 35, who lives in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, with her husband Brendan, 42, a fitness centre owner. ‘I blamed my career and lifestyle. At work, I’d have to sit in a dark room and shut my eyes as the pain was all-consuming. Sometimes, the migraines would wipe me out for a week. Claire O’Meara (pictured) used to put her regular, excruciating migraines down to the stress of her high-flying career in sports marketing . ‘Despite being a virtual workaholic, there were times I was unable to function and would have to phone in sick, which left me feeling terribly guilty.’ Things got so bad that last year Claire gave up her job to work part-time for her husband, helping to market his firm. But then Claire had an epiphany when she began keeping a diary of her headaches — her migraines were linked to her menstrual cycle. ‘I noticed they always came the day before my period, and it was a relief to finally realise what the trigger was. ‘It altered the way I tried to deal with them. I took advice, mapped out my cycles, and upped my dosage of magnesium (said to regulate hormones) and took over-the-counter drug Migraleve to try to prevent a migraine coming on 24 hours before I knew my period was due. This has staved off a full-blown migraine for the last few months.’ Claire is not the only woman suffering from this commonly misdiagnosed side-effect of the menstrual cycle. Claire (pictured after a migraine) gave up her job to work part-time for her husband last year when the migraines got really bad . According to charity the National Migraine Centre, a staggering 50 per cent of women suffer menstrual migraines immediately before, during or just after their period. But, like Claire, very many don’t make the connection between the two for years — and neither do their GPs. Online forums are awash with women discussing the ‘lightbulb moment’ they finally realised their cycle was to blame. Although migraines are an age-old problem, the diagnosis of specific menstrual migraines is a modern phenomenon, following extensive research over the past 25 years. Professor Anne MacGregor, a leading specialist in headaches and women’s health, says: ‘The most common cause is a drop in oestrogen towards the end of the cycle. This hormone is released at the start of it, and levels rise, eventually triggering ovulation and an egg’s release. Claire (pictured) has seen various GPs and doctors about her severe migraines but none have been able to come up with a treatment that has worked completely . ‘Progesterone is released and prepares the womb lining for a fertilised egg. If pregnancy doesn’t occur, both levels drop and cause a period. ‘It’s this sudden drop that triggers a migraine as the body deals with the hormone withdrawal.’ She says hormones used in contraceptives, such as the Pill, coil and patch put all women of menstruating age at risk — but those in their 30s and 40s more so. ‘This is because hormone levels fluctuate more in the years building up to the menopause, mean ing the drop in oestrogen and therefore withdrawal symptoms are greater,’ she reveals. ‘Traditional headache remedies don’t work. This is why we’d like to see greater diagnosis, so women can get the right treatment.’ Claire’s work was not the only thing that suffered. She often found herself saying to Brendan: ‘Not tonight, darling, I’ve a headache’ — and meaning it. ‘Thank goodness he’s very understanding,’ she says. Her social life was often wrecked, too: ‘I’ve had to regularly cancel social engagements, including a close friend’s baby shower.’ Claire saw various doctors: her GP, another for a second opinion, plus a consultant — but none came up with a treatment that worked completely. ‘All they suggested was that I take Migraleve, but until I started taking it as a preventative measure it did nothing to help me.’ Dr Jud Pearson, at the National Migraine Centre, advises patients who suspect their headaches may be menstruation-related to start keeping a diary like Claire. ‘I think women have always suspected they have menstrual migraines but doctors have not always believed them until now. ‘Now, however, there is a growing awareness of the condition, which means more women are finally being diagnosed.’ Marie Brown 47, a dental company sales consultant living in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, has had migraines for more than a decade, but only found out two years ago they were linked to her menstrual cycle, thanks to the migraine diary she was keeping. Marie Brown, 47, (pictured) has also suffered from severe migraines for more than ten years but only discovered two years ago that they are related to her periods . She reveals: ‘The first migraine I suffered was in my late 30s, and even going from bed to bathroom caused agonising pain in my head. There were times I wondered whether the headaches were a symptom of something horribly sinister, such as a brain tumour.’ Only when the migraines became a monthly occurrence, at age 44, did Marie made the connection. She now has a supply of the migraine drug Sumatriptan on hand to take on her ‘danger’ days to prevent attacks. ‘It was such a relief to finally find something that worked for me. But if I don’t take a tablet in time, the ensuing migraine is hell.’ Even with the medication, she still plans her social life and work meetings around her periods. ‘I deliberately don’t book anything for the week of my period, as on so many occasions I’ve had to bolt when a migraine has started. Marie (seen here age 27) uses medication to combat the headaches but still has to plan her social life and meetings around her periods . ‘Last New Year’s Eve I had to abandon dinner with my partner and go to bed at 10pm, when one came on. ‘Unlike most women, I’m actually longing for the menopause in the hope that once my periods stop, so too will the migraines.’ For Sarah Rose, 31, a special educational needs support assistant who lives in Croydon, Surrey, with partner Paul, 33, a sales manager, and their son Jack, two, the severity of monthly menstrual migraines was so great last Easter that her GP sent her to A&E fearing she had a bleed on the brain. ‘I spent five days in hospital on morphine. A CT scan ruled out anything sinister, but I had felt as though my head would literally explode. It was so frightening, all I could think was my lovely little boy needs his mummy and what if something serious was happening to me?’ Marie (pictured) suffered her first migraine in her late 30s, but they became a monthly occurrence when she reached 44, at which point Marie connected the pain to her menstrual cycle . However, unlike many other women, Sarah has suffered from menstrual migraines for all of the years of her adult life. ‘I first had the headaches at school but blamed exam stress for them. They worsened at university and my GP sent me to a neurologist. ‘He diagnosed migraines, but didn’t link them to my cycle. ‘It wasn’t until I was talking to my great aunt, now in her 80s five years ago, that I realised the cause. She said she used to suffer terrible migraines during her period and suspected this was my problem, too. ‘After that, I used the Period Tracker Deluxe mobile phone app to record my symptoms and periods and, sure enough, a pattern soon emerged. ‘Subsequently I also tried homeopathy, specifically a herbal remedy called sepia, which is supposed to help problems associated with your period problems.’ Sarah is an extreme case. But, for many women, the stark facts are that a migraine is another monthly misery they have to endure.
down to the stress of her high-flying career in left me feeling terribly guilty.’ Things got so bad that last year Claire gave up her job to work began keeping a diary of her headaches — her migraines were linked to her menstrual cycle. ‘I being diagnosed.’ Marie Brown 47, a dental women, Sarah has suffered from menstrual