How to Prevent Menstrual Headaches

Menstrual symptoms such as mood swings, cramping, fatigue, joint pain and bloating make some women dread "that time of the month." For some women, their period is accompanied with painful, sometimes debilitating, headaches. Headaches in both men and women are prompted by hormones like serotonin, so it is no surprise that women suffer from headaches around the time of their period, when their hormone levels are fluctuating. They say an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so preventing these headaches before they start can go a long way in making your period a pain-free experience.

Things You'll Need

• Over-the-counter pain reliever

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Instructions

• 1

  Monitor your attacks and look for patterns and any common factors that may be headache triggers for you. A diary or journal is a helpful way to keep track of the frequency, severity and possible causes of your headaches.

• 2

  Try to keep stress to a minimum before and during your period. Regular aerobic exercise, combined with yoga, may be helpful in reducing stress.

• 3

  Be sure to get enough sleep and eat regular meals before and during your period. Not doing so places stress on your body that may trigger a headache.

• 4

  Avoid food triggers, such as red wine and coffee, before and during your period. Your "headache diary" can help you pinpoint some other food triggers that affect you.

• 5

  Using ibuprofen or a combination pain reliever like Excedrin (acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine) for a few days before your period and during your period can also be very helpful. Always drink a full glass of water after taking one of these drugs. Avoid excess caffeine while using Excedrin or similar drugs.

• 6

  Talk with your doctor about estrogen regulation by taking a birth control pill or using a combination of the pill and supplemental estrogen. The decrease of estrogen and progesterone that occur right before your period can be a trigger for headaches in some women.

• 7

  Taking prescription triptans for several days before the usual start of your headaches has been shown to prevent menstrual headaches and to lessen the nausea that accompanies them. There are side effects, such as tingling, flushing, dizziness, drowsiness and weakness, so be sure to go over all the facts with your doctor.