A change in oestrogen levels can lead to women suffering from migraines during their menstrual cycles, a new study suggests.

A team of researchers at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin have found that fluctuating levels of oestrogen leads to an increased release in a neurotransmitter in their brain that prompts headaches.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGPR) is a protein that is released around the brain, which can cause inflammation in the coverings of the brain and lead to migraines.

“Animal models suggest that fluctuations in female hormones, especially oestrogen, lead to an increased release of CGRP, an inflammatory neurotransmitter, in the brain,” said study lead, Dr Bianca Raffaelli of the Headache Center at the Department of Neurology with Experimental Neurology at Charité.

“It is a naturally occurring substance in the body, and when a person has a migraine attack, increasing levels are released, significantly dilating – or widening – the blood vessels in the brain.

“This causes an inflammatory response that could be one of the reasons behind the severe headaches people experience with migraine,” Dr Raffaelli added.

Researchers studied a total of 180 women to look at the link between female hormones and the release of CGPR in humans.

The levels of CGPR were tested in migraine patients, twice during their cycle.

The first measurement was taken during menstruation and the second was during a woman’s time of ovulation.

The data was then compared with women who do not suffer from migraines.

Results showed that patients who suffer from migraines have a significantly higher concentration of CGRP during menstruation.

“This means that when oestrogen levels drop immediately before the start of a menstrual period, migraine patients release more CGRP.

“This could explain why these patients suffer more migraine attacks just before and during their monthly period,” said Dr Raffaelli.

The study also revealed that women who take oral contraception, do not face any fluctuations in oestrogen levels.

It was suggested that birth control pills might in fact bring relief to some women that suffer from migraines

“But as our study also shows, there are women who suffer from migraine even without any hormonal fluctuations. We suspect that other processes in the body play a role in triggering attacks in those patients.

“After all, CGRP isn’t the only inflammatory peptide that can cause a migraine attack,” Dr Raffaelli said.

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Migraines are most likely to develop either the two days leading up to a period or the first 3 days during the cycle, according to the NHS website.

However, periods are not the only trigger of hormone headaches.

Other causes may include, the combined pill, menopause and pregnancy.

The team at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin plan to study what other symptoms are influenced by the menstrual cycle and that potentially contribute to migraines.

The researchers also plan to take a closer look at CGRP levels in men of varying age groups.

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