Review, 2012
Can birth control pills help prevent menstrual migraines?
Some hormonal birth control products have been suggested to help prevent menstrual migraines, but this review does not provide clear evidence about which ones work or what concerns exist.
What they did
Reviewed research and expert discussion on using combined hormonal contraceptives to prevent menstrual migraines.
What they found
Menstrual migraine attacks are longer, more disabling, less responsive to acute treatment, and more prone to recurrence than non-menstrual migraine attacks. Some combined hormonal contraceptives have been suggested as preventive agents. The review examines specific products, concerns about them, non-contraceptive benefits, and their potential role in prevention.
What it means for you
Hormonal birth control might help prevent menstrual migraines, which are harder to treat than regular migraines. This review identifies products and concerns but does not give definitive answers about which birth controls work best for menstrual migraine prevention.
About the study
- Original title
- Current topics and controversies in menstrual migraine
- Authors
- Calhoun AH
- Journal
- Headache
- Year
- 2012
- Study design
- Review
- What was tested
- Combined hormonal contraceptives
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1111/j.1526-4610.2012.02130.x
Topics
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