Study, 2005
Can a home fertility monitor predict when menstrual migraines will happen?
Yes. A home fertility monitor accurately predicted ovulation and helped women time migraine prevention before their period started.
What they did
27 women with menstrual or menstrually-related migraine used a home fertility monitor to track their cycles and predict when their period would arrive.
What they found
The monitor accurately identified ovulation in more than 90% of cycles. Most variation in cycle length is caused by differences in the follicular phase (before ovulation); the luteal phase (after ovulation) is more consistent. This accurate ovulation prediction allowed women to predict their menstruation and time migraine prevention treatments precisely. 97% of women found the monitor useful in predicting menstrual migraine attacks.
What it means for you
A home fertility monitor could help you predict when your menstrual migraines will happen by accurately identifying ovulation, allowing you to prepare with preventive treatment. This is based on a small study of only 27 women.
>90%
accuracy identifying ovulation
97%
women who found monitor useful
About the study
- Original title
- Predicting menstrual migraine with a home-use fertility monitor
- Authors
- MacGregor EA, Frith A, Ellis J et al.
- Journal
- Neurology
- Year
- 2005
- Study design
- Study
- Participants
- 27
- What was tested
- home fertility monitor
- Read the paper
- doi.org/10.1212/01.wnl.0000150547.85002.61
Topics
Related studies
Systematic review, 2023
What hormonal treatments have been tested for PMDD, menstrual migraine, and catamenial epilepsy?
Cohort study, 2022
Can women accurately tell if they have period-related migraines, or do they need to track them?
Guideline, 2021
How should migraine be managed in women, particularly menstrual migraine?
Randomised trial, 2016
Does telcagepant prevent migraines during the menstrual period?
Randomised trial, 2014
Does the combination of sumatriptan and naproxen sodium reduce menstrual symptoms and migraine?
Randomised trial, 2005
Does sumatriptan work for migraines around the menstrual cycle?