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Updated: Jun 8, 2026

3D-Neuronavigation In Vivo Through a Patient's Brain During a Spontaneous Migraine Headache
Published on: June 2, 2014
Menstrual and nonmenstrual migraines differ in women with menstrually-related migraine
Brenda Pinkerman1, Kenneth Holroyd
1Ohio University, Ohio, USA. mpinkerman@hotmail.com
Introduction:
We compared migraine features and acute therapy response in menstrually-related migraines (MRMs) and non-menstrually-related migraines (NMRMs).
Methods:
Women with frequent, disabling migraines were prospectively diagnosed with MRM according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II; N = 107) criteria using a daily electronic headache dairy. Participants received individualized acute therapy while free of prophylactic migraine medications.
Results:
Repeated measures logistic regression revealed MRMs were longer (23.4 vs. 16.1 hours, odds ratio [OR] = 1.01, confidence interval [CI] 1.01, 1.02) and more likely associated with disability (85.6% vs. 75.6%, OR = 1.82, CI 1.27, 2.58) than NMRMs. MRMs were also less responsive to acute therapy (two-hour pain-free response = 6.7% vs. 13.4%, OR = .45, CI .26, .80) and reoccurred more frequently within 24 hours after a four-hour pain-free response (36.0% vs. 19.6%, OR = 2.12, CI 1.27, 3.53) than NMRMs.
Discussion:
These results support the proposed ICHD-II classification of MRMs and suggest that MRMs may require a treatment approach different from that for NMRMs.
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