SPM y síntomas del ciclo
Headaches and migraine around your period
Revisado: 4 de octubre de 2026
Solo en inglés por ahoraFalling hormone levels before a period can trigger headaches and migraine. Knowing your pattern helps you plan ahead and get the right treatment.
Why periods can trigger migraine
Just before a period starts, levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone drop sharply. In some people, this fall can trigger a migraine. Attacks that happen just before or during a period are called menstrual migraines. They are often longer and more severe than attacks at other times. About 3 in 4 people with migraine are women, and more than half of migraines in women happen just before, during or after a period. Hormone shifts later in life matter too. For most women, migraine improves or stops from about the third month of pregnancy, and about two-thirds say it improves after menopause.
What a migraine feels like
A migraine is usually a throbbing headache, often on one side of the head, and it can be severe. Many people also feel sick or vomit, and become very sensitive to light and sound. An attack usually lasts between 4 hours and 3 days. Some people first get warning signs called aura, such as zigzag lines or flashing lights, numbness or pins and needles, dizziness or difficulty speaking. Aura should not last longer than 1 hour.
Spotting your pattern
Other things can trigger attacks too, including stress, tiredness, skipping meals, too much caffeine, anxiety and low mood. A headache diary helps you and your doctor see whether attacks follow your cycle. Note every day of your period, not just the first day, as well as each headache day. In Ciclo you can log your period days and add a tag or note when you get a headache. Eating well, getting enough sleep and being active, ideally for 30 minutes on most days, can also help.
Treatment that can help
During an attack, sleeping or lying down in a dark room can help. Painkillers from a pharmacy are an option, but try not to take them on more than 2 days a week, as taking them more often can cause more headaches. A doctor can prescribe medicines called triptans or gepants for attacks, medicine to stop you feeling sick, or daily medicines to prevent attacks. If you take the pill, a doctor may suggest taking only hormone pills for 3 months in a row, without the usual break, which can improve headaches. If you get migraine with aura, the combined pill may not be safe for you, so tell the doctor or nurse who prescribes your contraception.
When to get help
See a doctor or nurse if you have several headaches a month that each last hours or days, or if headaches disrupt your home, work or school life. Get advice soon if a migraine lasts longer than 3 days, aura lasts longer than 1 hour, or you get a migraine while pregnant or soon after giving birth. Get emergency help if a headache comes on suddenly and is extremely painful, or comes with a fit, a very high temperature, or a recent head injury. Also get emergency help if you have trouble speaking or remembering, lose your vision or see double, feel drowsy or confused, or have weakness on one side of your face or body.
This is general information, not a diagnosis. A sudden, extremely painful headache needs emergency help.