PMS headaches and sinus problems

So glad to see I'm not alone. Im 55 and for the last 5 years or so every month around day 3 of my period I get a stiff neck, sinus pain and migraine all on the left side with nausea. It lasts for around 3 days and full dosages of paracetamol and nurofen do not help. When I described my symptoms to my doctor she said cannot be linked with my periods. But it IS always around day 3 to 5. I even wondered if I should get checked for a tumour or something. But seeing these comments reassure me it can be linked with my periods.

I too am having this problems for the past few years - I have had almost all my teeth out and umpteen antibiotics and still have this throbbing pain in my nose, my nose tip feels hard and swollen, I have jaw swelling, cheek swelling and the pain extends down my whole left side. I never really related it to my periods until now - will start to track when they come, and am going to try the evening primrose to see if that helps any and will get back with results.

OMG I am trying that. Been having them for a year and just don't understand why!

"It’s interesting that Plath had ‘unexplained fevers’ and ‘chronic sinus troubles’, as cyclical flu-like symptoms in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle suggest an intolerance/sensitivity to the sex hormone progesterone, which PMS/PMDD sufferers have."



Thompson showed that a well-known journal entry from Feb. 20, 1956, is clearly traceable to Plath’s menses, to which she refers directly a few days later. The journal fragment takes on new meaning in light of having been written during the physically and emotionally debilitating luteal phase of Plath’s cycle: “Dear Doctor: I am feeling very sick. I have a heart in my stomach which throbs and mocks. Suddenly the simple rituals of the day balk like a stubborn horse. It gets impossible to look people in the eye: corruption may break out again? Who knows. Small talk becomes desperate. Hostility grows, too. That dangerous, deadly venom which comes from a sick heart. Sick mind, too.” On Feb. 24, the same day she notes in her journal that she has a sinus cold and “atop of this, through the hellish sleepless night of feverish sniffling and tossing, the macabre cramps of my period (curse, yes) and the wet, messy spurt of blood,” Plath wrote a letter to her mother blaming her dark mood on her physical health: “I am so sick of having a cold every month; like this time, it generally combines with my period.”"

***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

Hi, I "wrote" the one above too... So, it has to do with your progesterone levels and how sensitive you are to the hormone of the fluctuations in the hormone levels. I have PMDD, and I get all the horrible symptoms for 12 days of every month, and then sinusitis on top of it for 3-6 of the days when I'm in the late luteal phase. It's not fun. I'm sorry you all are going through it too!


Cardiovascular and Respiratory Side Effects

Seven percent of patients will experience chest pain. Other cardiovascular risks include hypertension and heart palpitations. Progesterone also thickens the blood, making you more prone to blood clotting issues, including thrombosis and embolisms. Eight percent of patients experience a cough. Other respiratory effects include nasal congestions, bronchitis and sinusitis."

***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

Hi, So, it has to do with your progesterone levels and how sensitive you are to the hormone of the fluctuations in the hormone levels.Sylvia Plath had this problem, and it's well documented. I have PMDD, and I get all the horrible symptoms for 12 days of every month, and then sinusitis on top of it for 3-6 of the days when I'm in the late luteal phase. It's not fun. I'm sorry you all are going through it too!


Cardiovascular and Respiratory Side Effects

Seven percent of patients will experience chest pain. Other cardiovascular risks include hypertension and heart palpitations. Progesterone also thickens the blood, making you more prone to blood clotting issues, including thrombosis and embolisms. Eight percent of patients experience a cough. Other respiratory effects include nasal congestions, bronchitis and sinusitis."

" Plath’s “unexplained” fevers, which would recur and become immortalized in the “Ariel” period, are recorded exclusively in the luteal phase of her cycles, as are a vast majority of her chronic sinus troubles. Using both the unabridged journals to assess cyclical patterning and Plath’s calendars from 1952 and 1953, in which Plath recorded her periods through July 1953, it seems overwhelmingly likely that Plath was, as Thompson contended, in either the luteal or the perimenstrual phase of her menses at the time of her 1953 suicide attempt.

It’s interesting that Plath had ‘unexplained fevers’ and ‘chronic sinus troubles’, as cyclical flu-like symptoms in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle suggest an intolerance/sensitivity to the sex hormone progesterone, which PMS/PMDD sufferers have."

"Symptoms are considered premenstrual if they appear during the luteal phase of the cycle (the 14 days between ovulation and menstrual flow), begin to remit within a few days of menses and are totally absent in the week following menses. To meet the diagnostic criteria for PMDD, a woman must have at least one severe emotional (as opposed to physical) symptom each month, the severity of which must be great enough to have a major negative impact on normal functioning.

Thompson pointed out that Plath unwittingly recorded experiencing on a cyclical basis all of the major symptoms of PMS, as well as many others, including low impulse control, extreme anger, unexplained crying and hypersensitivity. She also suffered many of the physical symptoms associated with PMS, notably extreme fatigue, insomnia and hypersomnia, extreme changes in appetite, itchiness, conjunctivitis, ringing in the ears, feelings of suffocation, headaches, heart palpitations and the exacerbation of chronic conditions such as her famous sinus infections." 

***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

I suffer from these headaches myself, prescription medicines don't even relieve them. But, Tylenol Sinus Severe usually helps me. If I take them right away, they can be very debilitating.

I had zero allergies until I was 14.  I received my period around June of that year and 3 months later had 6 sinus infections in 8 months leading the doctors to believe I had allergies and low and behold my arm exploded to tons of stuff like dust, dogs, grass etc.  So I started allergy shots and meds etc.  I have had constant chronic sinusitis for years since and now at the age of 32 I found the same correlation as everyone else.  Since August 2014 till now everytime I was due for my period I would start to feel like I was having a major allergic attack to something.  Runny nose, severe congestion, major sinus headache, scratchy throat you name it.  This would last from a few days before to days after the cycle ended leading me to get antiobiotics or steroids to help what was assumed to be Sinusitis.  The rest of the month I'm perfectly fine and healthy.  I have seen the Allergist, ENT, GYN, Endocrinologist and regular MD and had CAT scans of my sinuses, MRI of my Brain, and no one has ever heard of this correlation and the tests all show nothing is wrong, yet I suffer monthly.  I like everyone else is at my wits end and sick and tired of feeling sick and tired!!!  I think we need to band together as a community of suffering women and find a cure/cause/name for this disorder because there is "something rotten in the state of denmark" here and it's time someone figures it out~

My symptoms began when I was 15. I was very active in sports and then bam! all I wanted to do was sleep. My head just felt so foggy and heavy. I was put through a bunch of tests-all negative and gained about 30 lbs from inactivity. As a last ditch the Doc just prescribed a nasal spray and it worked. From then on I had headache pressure in the sinuses and resigned myself to it all taking antihistamines and using sprays like Nasalcrom. Around the mid-90's another doc decided to put me on Entex-PSE a combo of psuedafedrine and guaifenesin. This worked really well but I never made a connection between my period and PMDD until guafenesin (mucinex) went OTC. After being on entex pse for years it was no longer available so the pharm co's could charge 3x the price I was paying for a script.. The Meth epidemic made purchasing pseudafed almost a criminal offense to buy so I can only buy for 10 days at a time and have to give my license etc. (I'm surprised I don't get fingerprinted and have a mug shot taken too). There's no way I can get to the store to keep taking it regularly so I've had a lot of problems due to inconsistency . One of the reasons I never made a connection with my period because I was blessed to not start having one until I was 16- a full year after my problems began. Problems from not being able to take the meds on a regular basis made me start looking around and lo and behold came upon everyone else with this problem. I also find I eat more and am sick of society making me feel that I have an emotional problem causing the increase in appetite vs. a hormonally driven issue. I clock in with a minimum of 8-10 miles a day of walking so exercise isn't an issue. It is scary to see that docs are prescribing some really serious meds for this those like beta blockers and depakote though? EEK. I have an appointment with another doc next week and dread having to start from the beginning of trying this approach and that and lets see a counselor. Yes...anyone would be better emotionally if they had a less jam packed life and more money and I'm not paying you $150 for that info. How about just

My wife gets the same thing. Extreme sinus pain when tryin to sleep that starts a day or two before her cycle and disappears after two more days. Im trying to find a cure or remedy cause I cant stand to see her so tired and in pain. Anybody know any good cures or why this happens?

First of all, I have all these symptoms as you all have described above.  I am 47.  Just started two months ago with the mentstrual migraines in 3-D and landed me in the ER.  To complicate matters I have had multiple Lyme disease infections that just make everything worse.  And with Lyme, the lyme attacks all sorts of systems in your body- so I'm sure the bacteria is having a field day with this newest frailty of mine.  All this I'm sure has the common denominator of auto-immune disease, as people have mentioned here.  

My remedies so far:

I went on the BCP to (Seasonale I believe)- the one that only gives you one period every three months.  I thought possibly less periods and more regular levels of hormones might help.  First month on it and sure enough day 27 of my cycle I have the pisser of the migraine back.  I will be spared my miserable period, but the master migraine reigns supreme.  So the jury is still out as to weather this will even help the migraines.  

I  use butalbital- given to me by ER doc as I begged him for something I could take at home so I didn't have to keep getting something intraveously.  BUT...If I don't take the med the minute the pain begins (and I forget and talk myself out of thinking the migraine is back-ugghh) the butalbital just chases the pain.  It's horrific pain.  I'm all for pain relievers if you can't function and bring on the strong ones.  I've got a kid to raise.  They don't make me loopy like everyone thinks they do (for God's sake) they just allow me to not bawl in pain.  

Ice pack on my painful scalp and on my nose and eyes around sinuses helps.  Haven't tried hot, but ice decreases what is obviously swelling of the nasal issue and the scalp/brain swelling.  Totally going to try that head on stuff, the rub on analgesic.

Also have endometriosis along with general horrific PMS.  Wondering if anyone else has made that connection.  

Also went to a chiropractor who helps with adjustments, though I haven't had the chance to time it so he can adjust me when this neck (which leads to all over my back) c**p happens alongside the migraine.  

Dont' we women have enough sh#% to deal with... Jeez.  Any suggestions would be helpful.  

BTW, I also have acid reflux, so it could be a contributor, but my GERD is treated.  Maybe it gets worse around this time, but I think it's only a small piece of this nasty puzzle.  

 I too usually get headaches before my period and sometimes just at anytime of the month. Well, I guess we should be grateful that's it's not life threatening, though it sure makes your day miserable and not wanting to do anything, like work!!

I experience the same debilitating headaches, every month behind my eyes with no relief, sometimes rubbing vapor rub on your temples will ease the pain but it depends on the severity.

I've been having the same sinus related migraines since A week before I get my period since I was 13. I've recently discovered that I have several food allergies (dairy, eggs, and anything containing high concentrations of mercury) that were causing the sinus problems. Since I've stated my elimination diet I feel incredibly better. Last month I got my period and didn't have any headaches or migraines for the first time in my life. Please ask your PCP for s food allergy test. it was what workEd for me.

I, too, suffered these awful headaches. I happened to be on birth control-the estrogen was triggering migraines right before my period. I am no longer on birth control and the headaches have stopped. Coincidentally, I am scheduled for sinus surgery for frequent sinus infections, but it is unrelated to this problem. Anyway, birth control can be the issue, ladies!!!