Bad Headaches for two days after period

I get really bad headaches before and after my periods too. It has happened on and off for many years now (I am 36). Being on birth control pills made it worse. Lately (last 2 months) it has gotten much worse. The pain is typically over my right eye and massaging it and my right temple can help for a brief period of time. I am very nauseous and have thrown up from the pain. It typically lasts all day (haven't had one last longer than a day). All I can do is stay cool, in a dark quiet place and try to sleep it off. Advil doesn't work anymore (it use to). The only thing that has helped me is to take advil the night before my period starts or as it starts to get light again. The advil the night before I go to bed seems to keep it form occurring...I just have to remember to take it in anticipation of the beginning of my period and the end. Good luck to everyone who gets these. They are really debilitating. I will go try tomato juice now :-)

I have had the same problem. It started in my late twenties and now i am in my late thirties. It apparently is more common than thought. I read up on it and found this, I hope it helps a little:



Menstrual migraines/headaches and natural progesterone
Almost one in five women has migraines. Often these are related to the cycle, hence the link to hormones.


One theory about the cause of migraine is the blood flow theory, which focuses on blood vessel activity in the brain. Blood vessels either narrow or expand. Narrowing can constrict blood flow, causing problems with sight or dizziness. When the blood vessels expand, they press on nerves nearby, which causes pain.

Another theory focuses on chemical changes in the brain. When chemicals in the brain that send messages from one cell to another, including the messages to blood vessels to get narrow or expand, are interrupted, migraines can occur.

More recently, genes have been linked to migraine. People who get migraines may inherit abnormal genes that control the functions of certain brain cells. And something the person's body is sensitive to in some way triggers the actual headaches.

Headache triggers can vary from person to person. Most migraines are not caused by a single factor or event. Your response to triggers can also vary from headache to headache.Many women with migraine tend to have attacks brought on by:


lack of food or sleep
bright light or loud noise
hormone changes during the menstrual cycle
stress and anxiety
weather changes
chocolate, alcohol, or nicotine
some foods and food additives, such as MSG or nitrates
While migraine headaches affect millions of people, they are still less common than tension headaches. Tension headaches cause a more steady pain over the entire head rather than throbbing pain in one spot. Most of the time, migraine attacks happen once in awhile, but tension headaches can occur as often as every day. While fatigue and stress can bring on both tension and migraine headaches, migraines can be triggered by certain foods, changes in the body's hormone levels, and even changes in the weather.

Migraine headaches are more common in women. In fact, about three out of four people who have migraines are women. They are most common in women between the ages of 35 and 45; this is often a time that women have more job, family, and social commitments. Women also tend to report higher levels of pain, longer headache time, and more symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting.

Hormones may also trigger migraine. Over half of women with migraine report having them right before, during, or after their period. Others get them for the first time when taking birth control pills. And some women start getting them when they enter menopause.

More than half of women with migraine have more headaches around or during their menstrual cycle. This is often called "menstrual migraine."

Migraines are severe headaches that are associated with over-dilation of blood vessels in the brain. An allergic reaction or stress may be the cause. The most common medical treatment involves medication, which may result in side effects of muscle pains, numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes, rapid (or slowed) heart rate, and nausea and vomiting.

Migraine sufferers are always in fear of their next headache.

Women who regularly suffer from migraine headaches only at premenstrual times, most likely experience these episodes due to estrogen dominance. In addition to opposing the excess estrogen associated with estrogen dominance, progesterone helps to restore normal vascular tone, counteracting the blood vessel dilation that causes the headache

I am 40 years old. Right now I am also trying to find a solution to my headaches. I am having the same symptoms. Pain over my eyes, sensitive to light, also my nose seems to be dry. No meds will help. My doctor place me on Isometh, it doesn’t work either. I am trying to avoid my next headache because I have 3 children and when this headache comes on I can't do anything other than lay in my bed and suffer, and yes you do have terrible thoughts. I do not have any stress that I know of. I enjoy staying home with the kids for the summer. But around this time of the month I have to send them off because I can not take care of the younger 2. I have read that it is due to lack of estrogen??? Not sure about that. After reading the other comments I see that others are suffering also. So far the only solution I reading from you guys is to start running? I pray that we all will get the help that we need.

I too have this severe headache towards the end of my period!
I'm 24 and a mom at uni and this headache is just AWFUL! The pain can be felt all the way to my neck and the top part of my spine around my shoulders. I get dizzy I cant do much aside from clutch my head and stay under a blanket for half a day. I would stay in bed all day if I could because its so bad!

I tried paracetamol and it really didn't help, my hubby pressed my head for me and at times that made it hurt even more! I'm so worried I have no idea whats going on, could it be due to stress? Ive had headaches all my life but this one is different, its extremely, excruciatingly painful.

My thoughts are with you guys out there, I really hope a cure is found for this, it is truly awful.

I am 26 soon to be 27 no kids, not on hormonal birth control pills and these same awful migraines start right before my period like clockwork, I take high strength tylenol to no avail. I don't want to keep taking such high strength pain killers, because clearly there is some kind of deficiency in my body that is not causing these headaches to go away. I am having one right now. but this wasn't always the case and like a lot of women on here is fairly recent 4-5 months. I wonder if this is a universal phenomenon signaling some kind of big hormonal change in our bodies.

I am 40 years old and have been suffering for about 2 years now every month with headaches (sometimes migraines) in my left eye for the duration of 2 days either during or after my period. This does seem to have occurred since taking the contraceptive pill and then, instead, being fitted with the coil - don't know if this is linked or not? I pop headache pills every 3 hours or so for 2 days but this only keeps it at bay temporarily before the headache comes back again! However, if I did not do this it would turn into a migraine! Strangely enough I have found that blasting the hairdryer on my eye (hot air) for a couple of minutes or so really does help to temporarily alleviate the ache in my eye! Also putting a cold flannel over my head where it is throbbing helps also, tho not on my eye! Am going to go back to the doctor to see if there is anything else they can recommend. The extra strong painkillers they gave me didn't help at all. My doctor did mention putting me on medication daily as another alternative. Think I will go for this option next. I have read others' comments about going running, may try this but I hate running! I also do agree with others' comments about having sex - this also does seem to help! More enjoyable than running too!

I understand your trouble, with these headaches, as i have been suffering from them since i was 30, i just turn 50, it gets so bad at times i have to go to the hospital, it always starts a week before my period. and it goes on during and after, so three weeks out of the month i have these unbearable headaches, i hope that some day . they will come up with a pill to take the pain away, Ive tried everything on god green earth, but to no avail, i just try to stay calm when i know my period is about to come, hopefully they will invent a pain reliever, that will help us over come this dreadful pain,

I'm not a doctor, but I've been reading a lot about hormone changes during and after period. I think a sudden decrease in estrogen can cause migranes. For me, after I had my second baby, I went on the pill to regulate periods. This caused estrogen to stay abnormally high, but the progesterone in the pill masks the symptoms. When I went off the pill, I had REALLY bad PMS symptoms from all that estrogen (cloudy feeling in my head for several days; could hardly see/think). After about 4 months, the PMS symptoms stopped suddenly as estrogen levels came back to normal. But, I had terrible headaches. Your monthly cycle could be a microcosm of this. High estrogen causing bad PMS, sharp decrease after period causes headaches.

I have experienced menstraul migraines for years. Just recently I went on a special eating program where I eliminated, dairy, flour - gluten, eggs, and sugar. By my surprise, all symptoms have disappeared around my period. I had so much energy this week, I honestly didn't know what to do with it! My kids have made comments that they like me this way, I was so alert and didn't feel anxious when too many things hit me this week. You see, when I'm near my period or even ovulation time, I almost feel ADD and have a hard time processing any tasks that are thrown at me, I get anxious and overwhelmed therefore.....I'm short with my children and even my husband. This week, it all went away....I use the analogy; it was like someone cut a tumor off my brain and now I have relief.

The diet is a challenge, but the results have been amazing. I now like the person I've become, NO yelling, NO overwhelmed feelings, Energy, Positive Attitude, Happiness.....for the first time during this time of month, it's been amazing.

Ive also been dealing with the post period migraine for about 7 or 8 months now.... decided to research it today as last nite I woke up at 2 AM with m y head pounding and thought " I cant take this anymore"

I thought it was a tension headache at first cause my neck was sore, but I think its the other way around - the migraine is making me tense up.

can you tell me more about this diet? or where I could find info on it? Im willing to try anything not medication-related.

I have the same problems , I'm 39, my neurologist says the blood vessels in my head are opening to wide, during my cycle and causing the migrains , sorta like a constant brain freeze kinda thing, the meds he gave me do not help, I just suffer through it.
I'm noticing lately the mood swings are progressing , I go from nice to evil in 1.5 seconds so much so I surprize myself.

I am having similar problems as well. I am just throwing this idea out there just in case it is helpful. Have any of you had your iron levels checked right after your cycle? If you experience heavy bleeding you can become anemic quite easily. It would make sense to feel the effects after your cycle as well. Two symptoms of low iron are headaches and dizziness along with fatigue. I am not sure if that is helpful but I wanted to add it just in case.

What about using progesterone cream? It has alot to do with falling and rising progesterone levels.Any O.B. Gyn's suggest this?

It is actually caused by falling estrogen levels.Try this website , it has all kinds of helpful info for women.

***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed

Hi I feel everybodys pain.. I have noticed for the past six months or so now that my migraines have been coming about two or three days after my menstral cycles ended. In the beginning of the onset migraine i start to have blotchyness in the corner of my eyes. Usually its only one eye then rotating to the other eye. I also have trobbing in my head and dizziness and weakness. I have kept a diary of these migraines to see how often i get them. I have noticed I am completely tired and have no energy to even go to work when these occur. All i want to do is sleep. When i wake up its still there. I work at a clinic and asked a Doctor that is there and they gave me samples of Maxalt. They usually work about 10 minutes into my migraine. The next 8 hr or so I take ibuprofen and continue that for the evening.