Questions posted in the Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Question Title: Headache/PMS

Forum: Neurology Forum
Topic: Headache


Why do many women experience headaches (and sometimes blurred vision) in conjunction with PMS...does this have anything to do with water retention and slight swelling in the brain if scans have eliminated any type of lesion growth, and blood pressure monitoring also shows nothing?

Thanks for your question. One common diagnosis is the occurrence of
peri-menstrual migraines. Several clinical studies have demonstrated
estrogen level fluctuations as a trigger for migraine headaches, and
visual alterations can occur as one the auras of migraines. However,
patients usually describe "flashes of light", "bright jagged lines" as
their visual symptoms. Other common migraine symptoms are photophobia and
phonophobia (discomfort with light and sound), nausea, vertigo. Usually
the migraine headaches have a "throbbing/pounding" character, and often
affect one side of the head.

I hope this information is helpful. Best of luck.

This information is provided for general medical education purposes only.
Please consult your doctor regarding diagnostic and treatment options.

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