Pain perception in women with menstrually-related migraine

Background Cyclic hormonal fluctuations influence migraine incidence and severity. Previously, we described reduced menstrual cyclicity in estradiol levels and dermal blood flow reaction to capsaicin in female migraineurs. It is unclear whether pain perception in women with migraine is influenced by the menstrual cycle. Methods Women with menstrually-related migraine (n = 14), healthy age-matched controls (n = 10) and postmenopausal women (n = 15) were asked to grade trigeminal and non-trigeminal painful stimuli on a numeric pain rating scale on menstrual cycle day 19-21 (mid-luteal) and day 1-2 (early follicular). Results In women with menstrually-related migraine, trigeminal pain remained low throughout the cycle. Controls showed increased trigeminal pain during the mid-luteal phase compared to the early follicular phase. Changes throughout the cycle were significantly different between women with MRM and controls. Conclusion The compromised menstrual cyclicity of pain perception in women with menstrually-related migraine parallels our earlier findings on estradiol levels and dermal blood flow.

Automated summary

This study investigated pain perception in women with menstrually-related migraine throughout different phases of the menstrual cycle. Results showed that women with migraine had lower levels of trigeminal pain compared to healthy controls throughout the cycle, indicating that pain perception varies during the menstrual cycle.