--- title: Do women with menstrual migraine have worse PMS and PMDD, and does coping strategy affect headache burden? description: Yes. Women with menstrual migraine had significantly higher PMS severity and PMDD rates than women without menstrual migraine. Using awareness and acceptance url: https://niyora.com/research/papers/premenstrual-syndrome-premenstrual-dysphoric-disorder-and-coping-strategies-in-2026/ --- - [Niyora](https://niyora.com/) - [Research](https://niyora.com/research/) - [Library](https://niyora.com/research/library/) - Do women with menstrual migraine have worse PMS and PMDD, and does coping strategy affect headache burden? Survey study, 2026 # Do women with menstrual migraine have worse PMS and PMDD, and does coping strategy affect headache burden? Yes. Women with menstrual migraine had significantly higher PMS severity and PMDD rates than women without menstrual migraine. Using awareness and acceptance coping strategies reduced headache impact on quality of life. Early or limited evidence 445 women with menstrual migraine and 156 without ## What they did Cross-sectional study reviewing diary data covering at least three consecutive menstrual cycles. Participants were 445 women with menstrual migraine and 156 without. Researchers measured migraine impact using the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), PMS severity using the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST), and coping strategies using the Premenstrual Coping Measure. ## What they found Women with menstrual migraine had significantly higher PMS severity scores (p=0.001) and headache impact scores (p=0.002) compared to women without menstrual migraine. PMDD was diagnosed in 5.6% of women with menstrual migraine versus 1.9% without. Women with PMDD had 3.113 points higher headache impact scores (95% CI: 0.607-5.915, p=0.016). Higher PMS severity and lower use of awareness and acceptance coping strategies were significantly associated with higher headache burden. ## What it means for you Women who get migraines linked to their period are more likely to have severe PMS or PMDD. How women cope with premenstrual symptoms affects their migraine severity. The study cannot prove cause-and-effect because it is observational and uses past diary data. 445 Women with menstrual migraine 5.6% PMDD rate in menstrual migraine group 3.113 Points higher headache impact with PMDD ## About the study Original title Premenstrual syndrome, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, and coping strategies in women with menstrual migraine Authors Othman AS, Hussein M, Elmazny A et al. Journal Frontiers in neurology Year 2026 Study design Survey study Participants 445 What was tested None (observational study) Open access Yes Read the paper [doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2026.1853733](https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2026.1853733) Original abstract Background and objectives: Despite the considerable prevalence of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in women with migraine, little attention has been given to the applied premenstrual coping strategies and their impact on headache severity, especially in menstrual migraine (MM). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the severity of PMS, the Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), the coping strategies used among women with MM versus those with non-MM, and to determine their impact on their perceived headache burden. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, existing diary data covering at least three consecutive menstrual cycles were reviewed to classify participants as having MM or non-MM. All patients were evaluated by the Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST) and the Premenstrual Coping Measure. Results: This study was conducted on 445 females with MM and 156 with non-MM. Females with MM had significantly higher PSST and HIT-6 scores ( p = 0.001, 0.002, respectively) than the non-MM group. The diagnosis of PMDD was confirmed in 5.6 and 1.9% of females with and without MM, respectively ( p = 0.06). By linear regression analysis, the presence of PMDD was associated with an increase of 3.113 points in HIT-6 scores (95%CI: 0.607-5.915, p = 0.016). In addition, higher PSST scores and lower awareness and acceptance scores were significantly associated with higher HIT-6 scores ( p ≤ 0.001 for both). Conclusion: Women with a confirmed diagnosis of PMDD, high PMS symptom severity and lower frequency of using the awareness and acceptance coping strategy are at risk of increased headache burden. Reproduced under CC-BY. ## Topics [Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pms/)[Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)](https://niyora.com/research/topics/condition-pmdd/)[Low mood and depression](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-depression-mood/)[Pain and headache](https://niyora.com/research/topics/symptom-pain/)[Migraine](https://niyora.com/research/topics/comorbidity-migraine/)[Quality of life and daily functioning](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-quality-of-life/)[Stigma, attitudes and culture](https://niyora.com/research/topics/life-area-stigma-culture/) Research tells you what helps on average. Niyora helps on the day it hits. Calm down, see it another way, and decide what to say, with a PMS and PMDD app built by a doctor. ## Related studies Survey study, 2006 What percentage of Japanese high school girls have PMDD or PMS, and what affects it? 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