Women who have migraine headaches were 25 percent more likely to experience one in the five days before a menstrual period and 71 percent more likely during the last two days before onset, according to research based on their medical diaries.
The study, published in the journal Neurology, confirmed other research findings that about half of all women who seek medical care for migraines reported an association between headaches and menstruation.
Migraines are usually described as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain in one area of the head, often accompanied by extreme sensitivity to light and sound, nausea and even a temporary loss of vision.
Nearly one in five adult women experiences migraines, compared with one in 20 adult men, and the attacks in many women have been linked to hormonal irregularities tied to the menstrual cycle.