The association between hormonal contraceptives and migraine headache
Melinda Vanya (HU), Ivan Devosa (HU), Delia Szok (HU), Gyorgy Bartfai (HU)
[Vanya] University of Szeged, [Devosa] Pallasz Athene University, Kecskemet, [Szok] Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Clinical Centre, University of Szeged, Hungary, [Bartfai ] Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi Clinical Centre, University of Szeged, Hungary
Objective : The purpose of the study was to assess the connection between menstrual cycle, oral contraceptive use of women with migraine and the clinical characteristics of the migraine attacks. Methods/Patienta: We invited all women with migraine with or without aura in the Outpatient Headache Unit of the Department of Neurology, Szeged, Hungary to participate in the study. We collected and followed up the migraineurs between 2006 and 2015 and we received the answers via 3 ways: personal face-to-face interviews, online and postal way. The charts contain routinely conducted headache diaries. Main Outcome Measures: The main outcome measures were to describe the menstrual pattern of women with migraine, the relationships between menstrual cycle, oral contraceptive use and clinical characteristics of the migraine attacks. Results: Our study group consisted of 108 (52%) women with M0 and 78 (48%) women with MA. The average age of the patients at the diagnosis of migraine was 18.79±6.97 years. The Pearson correlation test revealed a relationship between duration of menstrual cycle and the intensity of headache pain (p=0.012). The duration of oral contraceptive use was correlated with the intensity and duration of headache (p=0.001 and p=0.021) Conclusions: According to our best knowledge this is the first study in Hungary to describe contraceptive habits of migraineurs and the connection between the duration of menstrual cycle, duration of oral contraceptive use and intensity of the migraine headpain.