As we mentioned in previous articles, premenstrual syndrome effects over 70% to 90% of women before menopause in the US and less for women in Southeast Asia because of their diet. Premenstrual syndrome is defined as faulty function of the ovaries related to the women's menstrual cycle. It affects the women's physical and emotional state, and sometimes interferes with daily activities as a result of hormone fluctuation. The syndrome occurs in one or two weeks before menstruation and then declines when the period starts. In this article, we will discuss what causes headaches and migraine for women with PMS.
Migraine headaches are the most common symptoms of PMS, they affect about 15% of the population and just before or on the days of the period. While headaches do not accompany symptoms, migraine is usually followed by a series of symptoms.
1. Serotonin
Besides being secreted by the pituitary gland when we come to stress, it is also secreted during migraine attacks. The level of serotonin effects of the blood vessels in the brain causing irritation to the nervous system resulting in swelling in the brain's blood vessels causing pain that lasts for hours.
2. Allergic reaction
For whatever reason, some women with pre-menstrual syndrome are sensitive to food such as dairy products, and peanuts just before period causing migraine headache. It may be caused by the inability of the digestive system in food digestion resulting in some food particles leaking into the bloodstream causing immune reaction.
3. Estrogen
Researchers believe that migraines may be caused by high levels of estrogen and low levels of progesterone because the symptoms of migraine headaches before the period is gone when the woman becomes pregnant.
4. Medication
Some medications such as bromocriptine which reduces levels of prolactin for women with breast pain before period. This may cause headache and migraine because of it's side effects.
5. Magnesium deficiency
Besides helping to regulate the levels of blood sugar, it also stops the blood vessels spam because magnesium reduces blood vessels around the brain to constrict then dilate during migraine attacks.
