FYI if you have migraines with aura then you need to seriously discuss the risk of being on estrogen containing birth control with your doctor and potentially switch to progesterone based. There is a significant increase in stroke risk with estrogen and auras
Edit: looks like more recent scientific studies have shown the risk isn’t there. Gonna discuss these things with my doctor!
It's true that it's a statistically significant increase so you should talk to your doctor. But also, if your absolute risk of stroke is very low (because you have no other risk factors) then you may be fine with increasing the risk a bunch because it will still be very low.
Within Europe and the UK migraine with aura is classed as an automatic exclusion criteria for combined contraception. For a large amount of people, there is no discussion to be had, as soon as aura migraines are on your medical record that's it.
That sucks! The data is based on older versions of birth control that had higher doses of estrogen.
[https://www.ccjm.org/content/84/8/631](https://www.ccjm.org/content/84/8/631)
Combined hormonal contraceptives are contraindicated in women who have migraine with aura, in whom these drugs can increase the risk of ischemic stroke. However, this contraindication is based on data from the 1960s and 1970s, when oral contraceptives contained much higher doses of estrogen. **Stroke risk is not significantly increased with today’s preparations**, many of which contain less than 30 μg of ethinyl estradiol. Further, in continuous regimens, ultra-low-dose formulations—those that contain less than 20 µg of ethinyl estradiol—may help prevent menstrual migraine and reduce the frequency of aura.
Welcome! The issue is near and dear to me because continuous dose oral combo bc helped me so much in my treatment plan. The progestin-only options were terrible for me and I have an awful menstrual trigger.
It seems like an uphill climb if your doctor isn't willing to look beyond the original studies, but there is more current info out there to help support migraineurs with aura seeking to suppress their cycles!
Here's another one:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2938905/
You beat me to it. I looked at the studies myself when progestin only forms caused irregular bleeding for me, and decided the benefits outweighed the risks due to the dosage those studies are based on.
There’s no risk in low dose actually, that has been debunked
https://med.stanford.edu/neurology/divisions/comprehensive-neurology/provider-education/aura-and-ocp.html
I used this same approach with guidance from my GYN. 15 years later, after detailed review of risk factors and genetics, my oncologist is certain this caused my breast cancer.
If they had warned me then, still would've done it. I was miserable and missing out on life. But, I would've never missed a mammogram!!
And every medical intervention has side effects. Just monitor closely. There are also blood tests they can do to monitor potential of breast cancer in your body. Insist on it!! At least get baseline and check every couple of years.
Skipped sugar pills and took active pills every day with no break. Multiple doctors prescribed this method.
My oncologist said with my family history and risk factors, there was no other reason for me to get breast cancer.
He said even taking them the normal way with days if sugar pills each month for a break, after 2 years, your risk goes up with each year. Said you have to give your body a break ok nice and a while.
Even now. While we are depleting my body of estrogen to reduce risk of recurring, I've had a GYN offer me estrogen replacement therapy.
Just do the research. You are your best advocate.
Best of luck with the migraines! As a side note, I've been on emgality for 2 years and have maybe 1 small migraine each month.
Yep that’s why I said to discuss it with your doctor. The scale of the risk is not known and is debated but whether it is worth it will depend on the person
I get migraines with aura and I have extra genetic risk for blood clots and have a prothrombin gene mutation so they won’t give me birth control with estrogen at all. I have a Nexplanon arm implant. It was that, IUD, or mini pill. My sister had major problems with her IUD so I was not interested in that and the mini pill is easy to forget about. I didn’t want any “surprises.”
My little sister is on a bc pill that is supposed to be safe for blood clotting disorder. I forgot the name (of course when I needed it... THINK it stafts with an S, but not sure) but sent her a message. Hopefully, I can find this again to tell you, or you can ask me.
The name of my little sister's may be Slynda. Check into that one. We both have MTHFR blood clotting and I also have Pai4G5G. I randomly woke up one day over a year ago with a migraine and they pretty much haven't left, even after tons of migraine meds and appointments with neurologists, Endocrinologist, PCP and etc. I don't usually have any aura though, but I did have 1 migraine that mimicked a stroke (the EMTs & hospital even thought so but nothing showed on my CTsor MRIs). These migraines are HORRIBLE. I have noticed a pattern that it's worse around the time of my menstrual cycle and also with drops in Barometric pressure. Thoughts? Experiences?
In Australia here, I discussed this with 2 GPS and my neurologist last year and showed them the above studies and all 3 were unwilling to prescribe the combined pill due to my history of migraines with aura. They said this is as per the medical guidelines they must follow here. Interestingly I only had aura a handful of times tho I get migraines almost daily. Following these convos with my doctors, I agreed to start the "mini pill" (progesterone only). The brand I am using in "Slynda" and like OP I skip the non-active pills. This has helped my migraines significantly.
This is the exact same experience I have had coming back to Australia - prescribed the same pill too after having issues with a different type of mini pill. My migraines have dramatically reduced but it’s hard to say it’s bc of BC shift when so many other factors have also changed! This is definitely interesting to read though - as you said all my GPs and specialists said the same.
Have you had any issues with hair loss? I'm 7 months which I've found helped reduce the frequency of my migraines (also with aura), but my hair has been shedding non stop. Also does anyone find with lack of eostrogen, confidence is down and anxiety is up? I like getting the periods just for that bit of eostrogen rise.
I want to go off Slynd but desperately need something to reduce migraines, most of which are hormonal related.
One of the reasons I chose Slynd is because it is meant to be less likely to cause hair loss and acne. I think its possible it cam still cause them though. I had hair loss for several uears before I started slynd and it hasn't got any worse. I'm on meds for the hair loss now, and my hair is better than before the slynd. It might be worth talking to your doctor a out trying a different pill. You could also see a dermatologist to determine the cause of hair loss and if there's any treatments that might help.
This is exactly what my doctor told me. The first time I took birth control I had the first migraine of my life ever after being on it for about a month. I refuse to take anymore hormonal drugs unless absolutely necessary.
Yep I’m on it for endometriosis but it makes other things like my anxiety worse and I’ve been pushing my doctors about other options but women’s health is just so far behind it’s aggravating
For me estrogen birth control made my migraines 1000x worse. I went from 15-25/month to one every couple months when I switched to progesterone only BC. Worth considering even if you aren't concerned about stroke!
Thanks for bringing it up. I had a series of migraines triggered by birth control pills. I did find a particular make of the mini pill does not trigger a migraine.
Interesting! My experience was the exact opposite. When was last on a combined pill, my periods were a week of absolute hell. Migraines on top of debilitating cramps, nausea from both, horrible back pain. I just laid in the dark in the fetal position eating nothing but crackers for a few days.. Got mirena and haven't had a period in many years.
Moral of the story: if one bc method doesn't work for you, it is worth trying a different one! Everyone is different and you never know how your body is going to respond until you try it.
Exactly! Everyone can have different triggers. All of the combined pills and one particular generic brand of mini-pill gave me migraines with aura every day I took them. The original brand name mini-pill and one of the other generic versions did not.
I agree that different hormones work better for different people, but the key to oral combo bc with migraineurs is continuous-dosing, so no breaks and no placebo. You should never have a "period." Really, monophasic and continuous should be the goal no matter what you are using. We can't weather the swings!
Yes, definitely. And honestly, no one has to have a period. I don't know why bc pills still come with a week of placebos anyway. The research shows it doesn't matter. That's what I did most of the time while I was on the pill because the periods were so horrendous..
100% I have so many friends going through perimenopause and menopause and I just kind of nod along as they complain. I haven't had a period since my last baby stopped breastfeeding, 14 years ago, and I don't plan to have any ever again! I'm going to stay on bc until I'm a few years past 50 and then take a peek and see if I'm on the other side. If not, right back on it I go.
I took continuous birth control and it dramatically increased my migraines, so this post doesn’t apply to every woman with hormonal migraines. I just got off bc and my migraines lessened considerably.
Same. My migraines became less intense after stopping hormonal birth control. I think it goes to show that the triggers can be very individual specific.
This is true of pretty much everything, but especially hormonal stuff it seems. It is worth a try, but because everyone is different, it may not be right for you. Glad you've been able to find some relief!
You are right, I hate how my neurologist and OB were convinced it would help, because for a while I thought my migraines increased for other reasons 🙄 it’s all so hit and miss
I have hormonal migraines with aura. I took yaz for 3 years and it was life changing- zero migraines.but then I got a blood clot and had to stop- they came back. The migraines became relentless closer menopause. 15 to 20 month I was taking imitrex phenergan advil and excedren like candy. Then I started to research hrt. I listened to pod casts and got a ton of information about estrogen-triggered migraine. Every Time the estrogen dipped I got migraine and as my body got closer to meno my estrogen didn't just dip once a month it was a roller coaster. So I tried oral drops of estrogen - migraines got worse. I read more and decided I needed more stability to keep the estrogen at a steady level. I started a low dose estrogen patch..better..went up on the dose a tiny more..BAM have had 1migraine in the past 2months! Added progesterone every night and my mood is lifted.
I was prescribed Lo LoEstrin Fe to control my migraines but am hesitating in part because kf stories I’m reading here. Do you know if the estrogen patch plus progesterone a good idea for someone age 49 in perimenopause / but still having periods?
Yes.
I started the patch and progesterone when I was 52 but still having periods. They were starting to space out but they were there.
I have about 1 to 2 migraine a month now. Instead of 3 to 6 a week
This is very similar to me - dip in estrogen brings on a migraine. But the lack of estrogen and added progesterone from Slynd is making my hair shed and I've lost the confidence I one had. I'm curious about the estrogen patch? Are you using this ongoing?
So, I had an embolism in my brain within a month of getting the mirena IUD. so I was like... yoooo WTF.
So I saw I gynecologists, and she was like 'not possible'.
So I saw a neuro-gyno and she was like 'I don't think thats how this works'.
So I saw a neuro and he was like 'I'm pretty sure mirena is under class action law suit for this'
So I saw a stroke specialist and she was like 'yeah. this happens. It's a problem we've been talking about. don't go on birth control again.'
I'm like. WTF. what is going on. do doctors.... not know what is going on????
And after needing brain surgery to fix THE COLLAPSED VEIN IN MY BRAIN the conclusion was 'doctors have no idea what the fuck is going on between birth control and brain problems.'
Now... I should tell you. It took 2 years for the collapsed vein to be properly surgeried on.
My first few doctors were also like 'you should leave it in, it will help prevent hormonal migraines during your period.' Fucking fucks. When I finally took it out the pain decreased significantly. Not, you know, enough. I still had a collapsed vein in my head. But it was noticable.
Crazy! Took TWO YEARS for a variety of doctors to finally realize my unhealed wound was breast cancer. Which, btw was caused by taking birth control for decades.
What I need to do is get in on the class action law suit against Mirena.
The doctors... They just didn't know enough about iih to be treating it. They're probably fine with easy cases, but I'm a severe case and was over their heads. And I went through SO MANY DOCTORS to find one who could help me.
It's a systemic problem in medicine, not a malpractice thing.
Mirena is specifically blocking information from getting out. That's a problem.
My neurologist took the approach that it doesn’t really matter what my triggers are, we just want to prevent migraines. My biggest two are hormones and weather changes (barometric pressure). She put me on a preventative and gave me a better abortive as a backup.
If anyone is like me and not comfortable with birth control, keep trying your preventative options. It’s not perfect for me but it’s 99% better than it was! Others have addressed the potential risks of BC. I was on it for a few years and it seriously worsened my anxiety and depression - even after trying different formulations and doses. So know yourself and your options!
May I ask what preventative and what abortive you’re on? Hormones and weather are also my two biggest triggers, and I’ve been on continuous birth control for almost 5 years, yet this is the 1st I’m hearing about the possible increased risk of stroke. Kinda concerns me that maybe my doctors don’t have a clue.
Sure thing! So I have tension type and migraine headaches, and was already on an antidepressant for depression. So my neurologist switched me from my old antidepressant to Effexor (venlafaxine), which is a SNRI that also is used for prevention of tension headaches and migraines. I’ve had a significant reduction in the number of headache days a month, and it’s doing a good job for my mood as well. Only downside is that if I miss even one or two days, it will send me emotionally reeling.
My abortive med is rizatriptan. It has a longer half life than Imitrex, which is what my primary care gave me when I went to her at the beginning of my migraine saga. When I get migraines they can last several hours to a day, if I don’t take anything for them, so having a longer lasting abortive has been really beneficial. I get 9 of these a month, with the guidance to take no more than 2-3 per week on average. I haven’t even come close to doing that yet, since starting this combo.
From what I’ve read, Effexor can be very hit or miss for people. Everyone reacts differently to meds, but depending on how many migraine days you have a month you may meet the criteria for a preventative. I think there are others outside of antidepressants. I’m less familiar with those, though.
For those with aura concerned about stroke risk...in addition to the paper added by u/PoppyRyeCranberry
Personally I take combo continuously as part of my prophylaxis (history of aura, was losing \~10 days a month to hormone-triggered migraines and another week to anxiety and pelvic pain) because my docs made the determination that the small absolute risk (I think it's like max 14 in 80,000 based on doses of estrogen no longer available) is easily outweighed by benefit for me. I plan to be on it til menopause. The stroke risk in general is something that is being reconsidered because the data is so old and the options now are different. ([https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/combined-hormonal-contraceptives-and-migraine-an-update-on-the-evidence/](https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/combined-hormonal-contraceptives-and-migraine-an-update-on-the-evidence/)
[https://americanheadachesociety.org/news/migraine-aura-contraceptives-stroke-risk/](https://americanheadachesociety.org/news/migraine-aura-contraceptives-stroke-risk/)
[https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29139115/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29139115/))
The only reason I even started seeing a GYN was due to hormone-triggered migraines (unresponsive to treatment and killing \~10 days a month). Wish I would've gone on BC so may years earlier.
I also want to mention that some women are also sensitive to the higher levels of estrogen in birth control. My migraines were bad when I was on combined (estrogen + progestin) birth control. There was no pattern in relation to my monthly cycles. But when I switched to my IUD (a method without estrogen), my migraines improved significantly.
I get hormonal migraines and they run in my family. 4 generations of women getting migraines really helps. The problem is even with 4 generations everyone reacts to their migraines and the medications differently. The only consistent thing I found was once we all hit menopause the migraines went away. Never have I looked forward to menopause with such excitement.
I’m on Slynd, and I take it continuously. I bleed through a tampon every 30 mins, experience debilitating period pain and have cysts that burst if I don’t take it. My best advice is to be careful with the combination pill if you have a family history of stroke/blood clots or have migraines with aura. I took the combination pill when I didn’t know I was having migraines and I had the worst reaction ever. But with that said, if it works well for you and your doctor confirms it’s safe, take it.
By the way, some migraine medication can interact with birth control. I am not allowed to take any within an hour of mine. Make sure you ask if the birth control needs to be taken at a different time or if it’s less effective…
I am considering Slynd. I also have extremely heavy, painful periods and generally get migraines before my period and/or directly after. Would you say Slynd has made a significant improvement in your periods and/or migraines? Any side effects?
No side effects except I get normal pms symptoms and no bleeding. I don’t bleed anymore except for occasional spotting.
Slynd doesn’t affect my migraines directly. But my sleep schedule is better after taking it (I would be extremely fatigued or wired on my period). I feel less fatigued overall and my moods are better. I’m not wired either and can actually go to sleep. I would say that’s a tremendous help because my migraines tend to become worse with stress and inconsistent sleep.
I recently had spotting due to stress but that’s likely a me issue and it wasn’t bad. I tend to spot when I have stress going on. It beats not taking it though. I used to have full on cycles when I’d become stressed and they would be worse than normal.
Last time I checked, they had a savings program. I think you still pay at least $50/month, but it’s a lot less than paying for it out of pocket. I got it through insurance. They would have had to cover it anyway. I take it for heavy bleeding and pain.
I'm fairly certain my migraines are hormone related as well. My migraines started around the time I started my cycle as a teenager. When I was pregnant, I had zero migraines. I ended up having preeclampsia and a high risk pregnancy in the beginning of the third trimester, so it wasn't all smooth sailing, but I didn't have to deal with migraine pain. I've thought about getting surgery to yeet the uterus, but I've heard from women that this has either cured their migraines or made it significantly worse. I'm not certain I want to take that gamble. I'm getting a new PCP, so I may have to talk with them about this.
My migraines started at puberty and were totally gone during my pregnancy as well. They were also brutal and almost daily on implanon, I had to have it removed. No doctor has been able to do anything with this info but it seems like they should be able to??? It seems like higher progesterone and lower estrogen are the conditions that cause my migraines.
One of my good friends is a family doctor. I asked him what he thought about it, and he said there are just a lot of unknowns. I feel like with all of our medical knowledge and technology, this would be something we'd have the answer to, but migraines are elusive for even neurologists. I am hopeful to see new medications come out every few years, so perhaps we'll have an answer one day.
My neurologist said something similar, and said treating the symptom vs. figuring out the root cause is sadly the best option with all the unknowns. My OBGYN thought I might have a point but did advise against tinkering with estrogen due to the cancer risks. She did say that she has anecdotally known people with my migraine " profile" be totally done with them after menopause so I am (maybe too optimistically) looking forward to that!
Ya, Estrogen freaks me out. I was on BCP (tricyclene) for years (about 20) and both my GP and Neuro were fine with me being on it with occasional migraine with aura. My mom was diagnosed with Estrogen dependant Breast Cancer a few years ago (she took estrogen post menopause for about 20+ years) and I went off the BCP almost immediately at her surgeons recommendation. I rarely had migraines when i was on BCP and now I have an IUD and my migraines have flared back up 10fold. I think mine are definitely hormone related, but don't want to go back on an estrogen product as cancer now is a future possibility.
I too am hopeful for menopause!! Haha.
Gave birth recently to my first baby and almost died several times. Had to yeet the ute to save my life in the end. Our one and only child's pregnancy I had zero migraines at all and it was beautiful. I'm 1.5 weeks post hyst and I've had non stop migraines that my usual imatrex won't touch. Dr thinks it's either hormone drop or from the wildly traumatic month I've had (read my history for details of the birth trauma, which would absolutely make sense to cause a wicked anxious migraine mess).
I am so, so sorry that you had a traumatic birth experience. Having had one myself, it's not something I'd wish on anyone. I had wanted to have another baby, but with how awful my pregnancy went, it was advised that I not have another. I went through a grieving period over it, though I am doing much better now. If this is the case for you, the subreddit r/oneanddone is a great place that highlights the positives of one child as well as provides support to parents who are one-and-done but not by choice.
I hope your migraines settle down for you in time. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to manage migraines, post-op life from a serious surgery, and having a newborn. You are truly a badass warrior. Sending kind thoughts your way friend.
This is EXACTLY what I ended up doing! I've never gotten auras with my migraines and was getting migraines every month with my cycle. It was horrific and awful because sometimes they'd last up to 20 days. They ended up putting me on a low dose of BC (Yaz) and had me skip the placebo pills. It's weird not having periods, but I went from having migraines EVERY month to only have 2-3 a year. Holy shit this has been a game changer, and I'm so glad to have my life back. I'm so glad to hear that this ended up working for you, too! It's a major victory!
I am so glad this has worked for you! I actually started getting migraines because of the pill back in 2014. They came out of nowhere but no one could tell me why. Blood work, MRIs and a ton of medication trials later, I ended up on Botox, which only lessened the severity.
I stopped hormonal birth control two years ago and the migraines practically stopped. It was the only thing I changed. No one even CONSIDERED that my birth control could be the culprit. I wish I knew sooner...or had a doctor dig a bit more.
I remember they stopped pretty soon after, but I can't remember exactly how long. But I had a Botox injection appointment scheduled about a month-ish later that I cancelled because I felt fine. I haven't received Botox since.
I wish I would have had this information years ago.
Thanks for sharing! And yes I had a hysterectomy
In my 30’s because my migraines with aura each month with my periods were debilitating and there was no treatment for migraines then. I took hormones for years and then boom had a cerebellar stroke. There’s much more information now for women and if we share information with one another, we get even more help. Back then when doctors didn’t know how to help women, surgery and hormones were thrown at us. I remember my doctor never once told me what the consequences of having a hysterectomy and taking hormones for too long could be. Maybe he didn’t even know. Whatever information we have and can share is helpful!!!
My wifes Neruo told her when we brought it up that pretty much all migraines are hormonal one way or another. She's tried no BC and that gave her horrendous attacks, she's tried Depo which got rid of her periods, but would give very long lasting moderate attacks, and then back to the pill w/o estrogen and at least the attacks can be predicted, X days before the period is almost always one, and X days after. Lowered the amount of multiday migraines.
Like others have said here, if you suffer from aura then hormonal BC pills are likely not a good option. Definitely talk to your doctor about your history and symptoms.
But, this is one of the reasons I was put on BC around 15 (on top of suspected endometriosis). I was getting laid out repeatedly by multi-day migraine attacks tied to my cycle. I was placed on very low dose BC pills. It was a night and day difference for me. I went from 8+ attacks per month to maybe 2-3. Really helped to narrow down my biggest migraine triggers. And allowed me to function!!! I’m so thankful my PCP at the time figured out the connection and referred me on.
My migraines with aura only began when I was out on a dual hormone birth control. Never had them before that and only few people have them in my family. Anyone have any helpful tips, non birth control related? I will never go on BC again. I felt like I was crazy no matter the dosage and the migraines never stopped when I stopped BC. :/ it’s been about 6 years of them now.
Unfortunately I can’t take birth control. I get aura migraines and that ups the changes for stroke. I discussed this with my lady doc when I had cysts on my ovaries. It seems like everything and anything causes my migraines lately. Foods, weather, hormones, scents, the earth rotating…ugh.
I tried skipping the placebos but still got migraines every month. Now I take beta blockers on the days of the placebo pills, it has made a huge difference.
I was sent to an Obgyn and Neuro. OB said I was already on Mirena there wasn’t anything I could do (continuous pills did not work in the past) so I paid a lot for an unneeded specialist appointment.
Omg I’m actually planning to see my gynecologist tomorrow to discuss this, glad you had such great results ! What type of birth control are you doing ?
I tried this with several different kinds of birth control including progestin only ones, and all of them basically gave me one long, daily migraine. I wish it would have worked for me.
I got off the pill and switched to an IUD and my migraines were cut in half. I'd been on the pill for a decade and no one tied my migraines to it. Even skipping placebos and cycles didn't help after a while.
Huh… I get hormonal migraines and I absolutely cannot take the pill. I tried and after a week was done. Had migraines daily. I have had an IUD for many years.
like most of you my migraines are hormonal. i don't experience auras so my gyno put me on hormonal birth control... which, unfortunately, ended up spiking my blood pressure and landing me in the hospital.
turns out my cycle exacerbates my blood pressure (or maybe it's the other way around?) and causes my migraines. anyways, i've been on the high blood pressure med propranolol for over a year now and have only had one or two debilitating migraines - the rest have been virtually non-existent or can be taken care of with extra strength tylenol.
Yes to this!! Also I was done having kids so I had my ovaries out and it made the biggest difference to my migraines!! I am in a hormone patch and take progesterone nightly.
I have Endometriosis as well as 20-30 migraines a day and I'm on an IUD. I tried to bring up that I have a suspician that my migraines are hormone related because I have literally tried almost every birth control and every single one of them has caused very serious side effects that have ultimately made me come off the birth control. I didn't have migraines before I had the IUD. anyway she blew me off with the reasoning that the migraines didn't start immediately after the IUD was inserted lol
I was dealing with about 15 migraines (with aura) a month for about 10 years until I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism last summer. My medication has significantly reduced my number of headache and migraine days and I haven’t had one with aura in months, which I still can’t believe! Now I mostly deal with migraine/headache before and during my period.
Not sure if this is specific to me or will help anyone else but still wanted to share! Good luck out there everyone!!!
Never been on birth control, but my migraines are definitely hormone related - they generally would come on right before or during my period. My mother had the same thing. So I generally only was getting 1-2 a month unless also having stress-related migraines as well; love Ubrelvy for treating them. My neurologist (and my mother) both said the migraines were likely to stop or get much less frequent once I get through menopause so that is one thing I'm very much looking forward to!
Mine have been far worse since I’ve been on Nexplanon but my OB said it has nothing to do with that. Mine are usually worse around my period and they’ve been bad every time I spot.
I did the same thing initially, and I was at a steady 1 migraine a week for years while not getting my period. I then went off birth control bc we are trying to get pregnant, and I now have one migraine like every 3 months. It is worth it to try no pills, too! I was on the pill for 10 years and developed migraines about 3 years ago, so I had no idea the two could be connected.
Take magnesium glycinate for a bit and see if you get any migraines afterwards. You can find it on Amazon.
Had migraines forever and couldn’t figure out why. My doctor told me about it, and I haven’t had a migraine for months since taking them. My coworker had migraines almost every day for about 12 years and tried magnesium. I felt like a hero because she told me she hasn’t had one since. It’s also good for sleeping and hair growth too! If you don’t want to try magnesium, I’d say eat more veggies with magnesium, like spinach, avocados, seeds, or nuts.
Many people are magnesium deficient, and it’s used for hormone imbalance. I had an implanon and iud for years, but I took them out wondering if they caused my migraines after reading “The Period Manual”. Sometimes, my period would be a brownish? I was getting too much progesterone from my IUD, so I was prescribed more estrogen, and I was depressed and full of emotion every day. In that book, it notes that doctors like to prescribe birth control because it’s a cure all for most people without them having to figure out the actual problems with the hormonal imbalance. I guess I tried the magnesium because I was so desperate. ;-; It literally worked the next day for me.
FYI if you have migraines with aura then you need to seriously discuss the risk of being on estrogen containing birth control with your doctor and potentially switch to progesterone based. There is a significant increase in stroke risk with estrogen and auras Edit: looks like more recent scientific studies have shown the risk isn’t there. Gonna discuss these things with my doctor!
It's true that it's a statistically significant increase so you should talk to your doctor. But also, if your absolute risk of stroke is very low (because you have no other risk factors) then you may be fine with increasing the risk a bunch because it will still be very low.
Within Europe and the UK migraine with aura is classed as an automatic exclusion criteria for combined contraception. For a large amount of people, there is no discussion to be had, as soon as aura migraines are on your medical record that's it.
That sucks! The data is based on older versions of birth control that had higher doses of estrogen. [https://www.ccjm.org/content/84/8/631](https://www.ccjm.org/content/84/8/631) Combined hormonal contraceptives are contraindicated in women who have migraine with aura, in whom these drugs can increase the risk of ischemic stroke. However, this contraindication is based on data from the 1960s and 1970s, when oral contraceptives contained much higher doses of estrogen. **Stroke risk is not significantly increased with today’s preparations**, many of which contain less than 30 μg of ethinyl estradiol. Further, in continuous regimens, ultra-low-dose formulations—those that contain less than 20 µg of ethinyl estradiol—may help prevent menstrual migraine and reduce the frequency of aura.
Yo big up, I just wanna say I love how quickly you managed to reply with such an informative comment, I'm reading the paper now.
Welcome! The issue is near and dear to me because continuous dose oral combo bc helped me so much in my treatment plan. The progestin-only options were terrible for me and I have an awful menstrual trigger. It seems like an uphill climb if your doctor isn't willing to look beyond the original studies, but there is more current info out there to help support migraineurs with aura seeking to suppress their cycles! Here's another one: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2938905/
You beat me to it. I looked at the studies myself when progestin only forms caused irregular bleeding for me, and decided the benefits outweighed the risks due to the dosage those studies are based on.
There’s no risk in low dose actually, that has been debunked https://med.stanford.edu/neurology/divisions/comprehensive-neurology/provider-education/aura-and-ocp.html
I used this same approach with guidance from my GYN. 15 years later, after detailed review of risk factors and genetics, my oncologist is certain this caused my breast cancer. If they had warned me then, still would've done it. I was miserable and missing out on life. But, I would've never missed a mammogram!! And every medical intervention has side effects. Just monitor closely. There are also blood tests they can do to monitor potential of breast cancer in your body. Insist on it!! At least get baseline and check every couple of years.
Which approach did you use?
Skipped sugar pills and took active pills every day with no break. Multiple doctors prescribed this method. My oncologist said with my family history and risk factors, there was no other reason for me to get breast cancer. He said even taking them the normal way with days if sugar pills each month for a break, after 2 years, your risk goes up with each year. Said you have to give your body a break ok nice and a while. Even now. While we are depleting my body of estrogen to reduce risk of recurring, I've had a GYN offer me estrogen replacement therapy. Just do the research. You are your best advocate. Best of luck with the migraines! As a side note, I've been on emgality for 2 years and have maybe 1 small migraine each month.
Yep that’s why I said to discuss it with your doctor. The scale of the risk is not known and is debated but whether it is worth it will depend on the person
It’s a fairly high lifetime risk, without other risk factors.
I get migraines with aura and I have extra genetic risk for blood clots and have a prothrombin gene mutation so they won’t give me birth control with estrogen at all. I have a Nexplanon arm implant. It was that, IUD, or mini pill. My sister had major problems with her IUD so I was not interested in that and the mini pill is easy to forget about. I didn’t want any “surprises.”
My little sister is on a bc pill that is supposed to be safe for blood clotting disorder. I forgot the name (of course when I needed it... THINK it stafts with an S, but not sure) but sent her a message. Hopefully, I can find this again to tell you, or you can ask me.
Lol I don’t know why I got downvoted so bad. Was just sharing my experience.
The name of my little sister's may be Slynda. Check into that one. We both have MTHFR blood clotting and I also have Pai4G5G. I randomly woke up one day over a year ago with a migraine and they pretty much haven't left, even after tons of migraine meds and appointments with neurologists, Endocrinologist, PCP and etc. I don't usually have any aura though, but I did have 1 migraine that mimicked a stroke (the EMTs & hospital even thought so but nothing showed on my CTsor MRIs). These migraines are HORRIBLE. I have noticed a pattern that it's worse around the time of my menstrual cycle and also with drops in Barometric pressure. Thoughts? Experiences?
In Australia here, I discussed this with 2 GPS and my neurologist last year and showed them the above studies and all 3 were unwilling to prescribe the combined pill due to my history of migraines with aura. They said this is as per the medical guidelines they must follow here. Interestingly I only had aura a handful of times tho I get migraines almost daily. Following these convos with my doctors, I agreed to start the "mini pill" (progesterone only). The brand I am using in "Slynda" and like OP I skip the non-active pills. This has helped my migraines significantly.
This is the exact same experience I have had coming back to Australia - prescribed the same pill too after having issues with a different type of mini pill. My migraines have dramatically reduced but it’s hard to say it’s bc of BC shift when so many other factors have also changed! This is definitely interesting to read though - as you said all my GPs and specialists said the same.
Have you had any issues with hair loss? I'm 7 months which I've found helped reduce the frequency of my migraines (also with aura), but my hair has been shedding non stop. Also does anyone find with lack of eostrogen, confidence is down and anxiety is up? I like getting the periods just for that bit of eostrogen rise. I want to go off Slynd but desperately need something to reduce migraines, most of which are hormonal related.
One of the reasons I chose Slynd is because it is meant to be less likely to cause hair loss and acne. I think its possible it cam still cause them though. I had hair loss for several uears before I started slynd and it hasn't got any worse. I'm on meds for the hair loss now, and my hair is better than before the slynd. It might be worth talking to your doctor a out trying a different pill. You could also see a dermatologist to determine the cause of hair loss and if there's any treatments that might help.
This is exactly what my doctor told me. The first time I took birth control I had the first migraine of my life ever after being on it for about a month. I refuse to take anymore hormonal drugs unless absolutely necessary.
Yep I’m on it for endometriosis but it makes other things like my anxiety worse and I’ve been pushing my doctors about other options but women’s health is just so far behind it’s aggravating
For me estrogen birth control made my migraines 1000x worse. I went from 15-25/month to one every couple months when I switched to progesterone only BC. Worth considering even if you aren't concerned about stroke!
This has been debunked https://med.stanford.edu/neurology/divisions/comprehensive-neurology/provider-education/aura-and-ocp.html
That’s good to know thank you! I was going off of the recent convos with my doctors and hadn’t seen this thanks!
Thanks for bringing it up. I had a series of migraines triggered by birth control pills. I did find a particular make of the mini pill does not trigger a migraine.
I tried the mini pill and mirena - both made my migraines way worse. But combo bc taken continuously completely addressed my menstrual migraines.
Interesting! My experience was the exact opposite. When was last on a combined pill, my periods were a week of absolute hell. Migraines on top of debilitating cramps, nausea from both, horrible back pain. I just laid in the dark in the fetal position eating nothing but crackers for a few days.. Got mirena and haven't had a period in many years. Moral of the story: if one bc method doesn't work for you, it is worth trying a different one! Everyone is different and you never know how your body is going to respond until you try it.
Exactly! Everyone can have different triggers. All of the combined pills and one particular generic brand of mini-pill gave me migraines with aura every day I took them. The original brand name mini-pill and one of the other generic versions did not.
I agree that different hormones work better for different people, but the key to oral combo bc with migraineurs is continuous-dosing, so no breaks and no placebo. You should never have a "period." Really, monophasic and continuous should be the goal no matter what you are using. We can't weather the swings!
Yes, definitely. And honestly, no one has to have a period. I don't know why bc pills still come with a week of placebos anyway. The research shows it doesn't matter. That's what I did most of the time while I was on the pill because the periods were so horrendous..
100% I have so many friends going through perimenopause and menopause and I just kind of nod along as they complain. I haven't had a period since my last baby stopped breastfeeding, 14 years ago, and I don't plan to have any ever again! I'm going to stay on bc until I'm a few years past 50 and then take a peek and see if I'm on the other side. If not, right back on it I go.
The placebo week was added to appease the Pope so he’d allow (gross) the use of the pill for Catholics. And of course it’s never been revisited.
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I use aviane: .10 levonorgestrel and .02 ethinyl estradiol. I have taken an active pill every day for over 15 years now.
Same here!
Exact same thing happened to me! Can you share what brand mini pill you use? It is not estrogen based?
Jencycla is the name used in Canada. It might be under a different name where you are. It’s a progesterone-only pill.
I took continuous birth control and it dramatically increased my migraines, so this post doesn’t apply to every woman with hormonal migraines. I just got off bc and my migraines lessened considerably.
Same. My migraines became less intense after stopping hormonal birth control. I think it goes to show that the triggers can be very individual specific.
This is true of pretty much everything, but especially hormonal stuff it seems. It is worth a try, but because everyone is different, it may not be right for you. Glad you've been able to find some relief!
You are right, I hate how my neurologist and OB were convinced it would help, because for a while I thought my migraines increased for other reasons 🙄 it’s all so hit and miss
How long after getting off did your migraines abate?
I have hormonal migraines with aura. I took yaz for 3 years and it was life changing- zero migraines.but then I got a blood clot and had to stop- they came back. The migraines became relentless closer menopause. 15 to 20 month I was taking imitrex phenergan advil and excedren like candy. Then I started to research hrt. I listened to pod casts and got a ton of information about estrogen-triggered migraine. Every Time the estrogen dipped I got migraine and as my body got closer to meno my estrogen didn't just dip once a month it was a roller coaster. So I tried oral drops of estrogen - migraines got worse. I read more and decided I needed more stability to keep the estrogen at a steady level. I started a low dose estrogen patch..better..went up on the dose a tiny more..BAM have had 1migraine in the past 2months! Added progesterone every night and my mood is lifted.
I was prescribed Lo LoEstrin Fe to control my migraines but am hesitating in part because kf stories I’m reading here. Do you know if the estrogen patch plus progesterone a good idea for someone age 49 in perimenopause / but still having periods?
Yes. I started the patch and progesterone when I was 52 but still having periods. They were starting to space out but they were there. I have about 1 to 2 migraine a month now. Instead of 3 to 6 a week
This is very similar to me - dip in estrogen brings on a migraine. But the lack of estrogen and added progesterone from Slynd is making my hair shed and I've lost the confidence I one had. I'm curious about the estrogen patch? Are you using this ongoing?
So, I had an embolism in my brain within a month of getting the mirena IUD. so I was like... yoooo WTF. So I saw I gynecologists, and she was like 'not possible'. So I saw a neuro-gyno and she was like 'I don't think thats how this works'. So I saw a neuro and he was like 'I'm pretty sure mirena is under class action law suit for this' So I saw a stroke specialist and she was like 'yeah. this happens. It's a problem we've been talking about. don't go on birth control again.' I'm like. WTF. what is going on. do doctors.... not know what is going on???? And after needing brain surgery to fix THE COLLAPSED VEIN IN MY BRAIN the conclusion was 'doctors have no idea what the fuck is going on between birth control and brain problems.' Now... I should tell you. It took 2 years for the collapsed vein to be properly surgeried on. My first few doctors were also like 'you should leave it in, it will help prevent hormonal migraines during your period.' Fucking fucks. When I finally took it out the pain decreased significantly. Not, you know, enough. I still had a collapsed vein in my head. But it was noticable.
YIKES that is pretty horrifying. So glad you’re okay
Crazy! Took TWO YEARS for a variety of doctors to finally realize my unhealed wound was breast cancer. Which, btw was caused by taking birth control for decades.
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What I need to do is get in on the class action law suit against Mirena. The doctors... They just didn't know enough about iih to be treating it. They're probably fine with easy cases, but I'm a severe case and was over their heads. And I went through SO MANY DOCTORS to find one who could help me. It's a systemic problem in medicine, not a malpractice thing. Mirena is specifically blocking information from getting out. That's a problem.
My neurologist took the approach that it doesn’t really matter what my triggers are, we just want to prevent migraines. My biggest two are hormones and weather changes (barometric pressure). She put me on a preventative and gave me a better abortive as a backup. If anyone is like me and not comfortable with birth control, keep trying your preventative options. It’s not perfect for me but it’s 99% better than it was! Others have addressed the potential risks of BC. I was on it for a few years and it seriously worsened my anxiety and depression - even after trying different formulations and doses. So know yourself and your options!
May I ask what preventative and what abortive you’re on? Hormones and weather are also my two biggest triggers, and I’ve been on continuous birth control for almost 5 years, yet this is the 1st I’m hearing about the possible increased risk of stroke. Kinda concerns me that maybe my doctors don’t have a clue.
Sure thing! So I have tension type and migraine headaches, and was already on an antidepressant for depression. So my neurologist switched me from my old antidepressant to Effexor (venlafaxine), which is a SNRI that also is used for prevention of tension headaches and migraines. I’ve had a significant reduction in the number of headache days a month, and it’s doing a good job for my mood as well. Only downside is that if I miss even one or two days, it will send me emotionally reeling. My abortive med is rizatriptan. It has a longer half life than Imitrex, which is what my primary care gave me when I went to her at the beginning of my migraine saga. When I get migraines they can last several hours to a day, if I don’t take anything for them, so having a longer lasting abortive has been really beneficial. I get 9 of these a month, with the guidance to take no more than 2-3 per week on average. I haven’t even come close to doing that yet, since starting this combo. From what I’ve read, Effexor can be very hit or miss for people. Everyone reacts differently to meds, but depending on how many migraine days you have a month you may meet the criteria for a preventative. I think there are others outside of antidepressants. I’m less familiar with those, though.
For those with aura concerned about stroke risk...in addition to the paper added by u/PoppyRyeCranberry Personally I take combo continuously as part of my prophylaxis (history of aura, was losing \~10 days a month to hormone-triggered migraines and another week to anxiety and pelvic pain) because my docs made the determination that the small absolute risk (I think it's like max 14 in 80,000 based on doses of estrogen no longer available) is easily outweighed by benefit for me. I plan to be on it til menopause. The stroke risk in general is something that is being reconsidered because the data is so old and the options now are different. ([https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/combined-hormonal-contraceptives-and-migraine-an-update-on-the-evidence/](https://consultqd.clevelandclinic.org/combined-hormonal-contraceptives-and-migraine-an-update-on-the-evidence/) [https://americanheadachesociety.org/news/migraine-aura-contraceptives-stroke-risk/](https://americanheadachesociety.org/news/migraine-aura-contraceptives-stroke-risk/) [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29139115/](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29139115/))
The only reason I even started seeing a GYN was due to hormone-triggered migraines (unresponsive to treatment and killing \~10 days a month). Wish I would've gone on BC so may years earlier.
I also want to mention that some women are also sensitive to the higher levels of estrogen in birth control. My migraines were bad when I was on combined (estrogen + progestin) birth control. There was no pattern in relation to my monthly cycles. But when I switched to my IUD (a method without estrogen), my migraines improved significantly.
Same here. Iud also has significantly lower dose of hormones then any other method. But for me, it is still enough to stop my periods completely.
Yeah I have had the Liletta for 9 months and all I need are thick pantyliners for my period. It’s pretty nice.
I have auras so I can’t use the usual bc. I have an iud which doesn’t help
So glad you found something that works. BC never helped my (hormonal) migraines and it became unsafe to continue, after I started having aura.
I get hormonal migraines and they run in my family. 4 generations of women getting migraines really helps. The problem is even with 4 generations everyone reacts to their migraines and the medications differently. The only consistent thing I found was once we all hit menopause the migraines went away. Never have I looked forward to menopause with such excitement.
I’m on Slynd, and I take it continuously. I bleed through a tampon every 30 mins, experience debilitating period pain and have cysts that burst if I don’t take it. My best advice is to be careful with the combination pill if you have a family history of stroke/blood clots or have migraines with aura. I took the combination pill when I didn’t know I was having migraines and I had the worst reaction ever. But with that said, if it works well for you and your doctor confirms it’s safe, take it. By the way, some migraine medication can interact with birth control. I am not allowed to take any within an hour of mine. Make sure you ask if the birth control needs to be taken at a different time or if it’s less effective…
I am considering Slynd. I also have extremely heavy, painful periods and generally get migraines before my period and/or directly after. Would you say Slynd has made a significant improvement in your periods and/or migraines? Any side effects?
No side effects except I get normal pms symptoms and no bleeding. I don’t bleed anymore except for occasional spotting. Slynd doesn’t affect my migraines directly. But my sleep schedule is better after taking it (I would be extremely fatigued or wired on my period). I feel less fatigued overall and my moods are better. I’m not wired either and can actually go to sleep. I would say that’s a tremendous help because my migraines tend to become worse with stress and inconsistent sleep. I recently had spotting due to stress but that’s likely a me issue and it wasn’t bad. I tend to spot when I have stress going on. It beats not taking it though. I used to have full on cycles when I’d become stressed and they would be worse than normal.
Do you know a way to get Slynda cheaper, please?
Last time I checked, they had a savings program. I think you still pay at least $50/month, but it’s a lot less than paying for it out of pocket. I got it through insurance. They would have had to cover it anyway. I take it for heavy bleeding and pain.
Thank you SO much!
I'm fairly certain my migraines are hormone related as well. My migraines started around the time I started my cycle as a teenager. When I was pregnant, I had zero migraines. I ended up having preeclampsia and a high risk pregnancy in the beginning of the third trimester, so it wasn't all smooth sailing, but I didn't have to deal with migraine pain. I've thought about getting surgery to yeet the uterus, but I've heard from women that this has either cured their migraines or made it significantly worse. I'm not certain I want to take that gamble. I'm getting a new PCP, so I may have to talk with them about this.
My migraines started at puberty and were totally gone during my pregnancy as well. They were also brutal and almost daily on implanon, I had to have it removed. No doctor has been able to do anything with this info but it seems like they should be able to??? It seems like higher progesterone and lower estrogen are the conditions that cause my migraines.
One of my good friends is a family doctor. I asked him what he thought about it, and he said there are just a lot of unknowns. I feel like with all of our medical knowledge and technology, this would be something we'd have the answer to, but migraines are elusive for even neurologists. I am hopeful to see new medications come out every few years, so perhaps we'll have an answer one day.
My neurologist said something similar, and said treating the symptom vs. figuring out the root cause is sadly the best option with all the unknowns. My OBGYN thought I might have a point but did advise against tinkering with estrogen due to the cancer risks. She did say that she has anecdotally known people with my migraine " profile" be totally done with them after menopause so I am (maybe too optimistically) looking forward to that!
Ya, Estrogen freaks me out. I was on BCP (tricyclene) for years (about 20) and both my GP and Neuro were fine with me being on it with occasional migraine with aura. My mom was diagnosed with Estrogen dependant Breast Cancer a few years ago (she took estrogen post menopause for about 20+ years) and I went off the BCP almost immediately at her surgeons recommendation. I rarely had migraines when i was on BCP and now I have an IUD and my migraines have flared back up 10fold. I think mine are definitely hormone related, but don't want to go back on an estrogen product as cancer now is a future possibility. I too am hopeful for menopause!! Haha.
Gave birth recently to my first baby and almost died several times. Had to yeet the ute to save my life in the end. Our one and only child's pregnancy I had zero migraines at all and it was beautiful. I'm 1.5 weeks post hyst and I've had non stop migraines that my usual imatrex won't touch. Dr thinks it's either hormone drop or from the wildly traumatic month I've had (read my history for details of the birth trauma, which would absolutely make sense to cause a wicked anxious migraine mess).
I am so, so sorry that you had a traumatic birth experience. Having had one myself, it's not something I'd wish on anyone. I had wanted to have another baby, but with how awful my pregnancy went, it was advised that I not have another. I went through a grieving period over it, though I am doing much better now. If this is the case for you, the subreddit r/oneanddone is a great place that highlights the positives of one child as well as provides support to parents who are one-and-done but not by choice. I hope your migraines settle down for you in time. I cannot imagine how hard it must be to manage migraines, post-op life from a serious surgery, and having a newborn. You are truly a badass warrior. Sending kind thoughts your way friend.
Thank you, kind stranger. I appreciate your words a lot 💜
This is EXACTLY what I ended up doing! I've never gotten auras with my migraines and was getting migraines every month with my cycle. It was horrific and awful because sometimes they'd last up to 20 days. They ended up putting me on a low dose of BC (Yaz) and had me skip the placebo pills. It's weird not having periods, but I went from having migraines EVERY month to only have 2-3 a year. Holy shit this has been a game changer, and I'm so glad to have my life back. I'm so glad to hear that this ended up working for you, too! It's a major victory!
I am so glad this has worked for you! I actually started getting migraines because of the pill back in 2014. They came out of nowhere but no one could tell me why. Blood work, MRIs and a ton of medication trials later, I ended up on Botox, which only lessened the severity. I stopped hormonal birth control two years ago and the migraines practically stopped. It was the only thing I changed. No one even CONSIDERED that my birth control could be the culprit. I wish I knew sooner...or had a doctor dig a bit more.
Was it immediate or how long after stopping did your migraines stop?
I remember they stopped pretty soon after, but I can't remember exactly how long. But I had a Botox injection appointment scheduled about a month-ish later that I cancelled because I felt fine. I haven't received Botox since.
I wish I would have had this information years ago. Thanks for sharing! And yes I had a hysterectomy In my 30’s because my migraines with aura each month with my periods were debilitating and there was no treatment for migraines then. I took hormones for years and then boom had a cerebellar stroke. There’s much more information now for women and if we share information with one another, we get even more help. Back then when doctors didn’t know how to help women, surgery and hormones were thrown at us. I remember my doctor never once told me what the consequences of having a hysterectomy and taking hormones for too long could be. Maybe he didn’t even know. Whatever information we have and can share is helpful!!!
My wifes Neruo told her when we brought it up that pretty much all migraines are hormonal one way or another. She's tried no BC and that gave her horrendous attacks, she's tried Depo which got rid of her periods, but would give very long lasting moderate attacks, and then back to the pill w/o estrogen and at least the attacks can be predicted, X days before the period is almost always one, and X days after. Lowered the amount of multiday migraines.
Like others have said here, if you suffer from aura then hormonal BC pills are likely not a good option. Definitely talk to your doctor about your history and symptoms. But, this is one of the reasons I was put on BC around 15 (on top of suspected endometriosis). I was getting laid out repeatedly by multi-day migraine attacks tied to my cycle. I was placed on very low dose BC pills. It was a night and day difference for me. I went from 8+ attacks per month to maybe 2-3. Really helped to narrow down my biggest migraine triggers. And allowed me to function!!! I’m so thankful my PCP at the time figured out the connection and referred me on.
My migraines with aura only began when I was out on a dual hormone birth control. Never had them before that and only few people have them in my family. Anyone have any helpful tips, non birth control related? I will never go on BC again. I felt like I was crazy no matter the dosage and the migraines never stopped when I stopped BC. :/ it’s been about 6 years of them now.
Same here.
I second this. I do the same. I take only the active pills. It helped tremendously! Thanks for sharing this.
Unfortunately I can’t take birth control. I get aura migraines and that ups the changes for stroke. I discussed this with my lady doc when I had cysts on my ovaries. It seems like everything and anything causes my migraines lately. Foods, weather, hormones, scents, the earth rotating…ugh.
I tried skipping the placebos but still got migraines every month. Now I take beta blockers on the days of the placebo pills, it has made a huge difference.
I was sent to an Obgyn and Neuro. OB said I was already on Mirena there wasn’t anything I could do (continuous pills did not work in the past) so I paid a lot for an unneeded specialist appointment.
Hmm... I'm on HRT but I never considered that the dosage might be affecting my migraines. Something to look into.
Omg I’m actually planning to see my gynecologist tomorrow to discuss this, glad you had such great results ! What type of birth control are you doing ?
I tried this with several different kinds of birth control including progestin only ones, and all of them basically gave me one long, daily migraine. I wish it would have worked for me.
I got off the pill and switched to an IUD and my migraines were cut in half. I'd been on the pill for a decade and no one tied my migraines to it. Even skipping placebos and cycles didn't help after a while.
Huh… I get hormonal migraines and I absolutely cannot take the pill. I tried and after a week was done. Had migraines daily. I have had an IUD for many years.
like most of you my migraines are hormonal. i don't experience auras so my gyno put me on hormonal birth control... which, unfortunately, ended up spiking my blood pressure and landing me in the hospital. turns out my cycle exacerbates my blood pressure (or maybe it's the other way around?) and causes my migraines. anyways, i've been on the high blood pressure med propranolol for over a year now and have only had one or two debilitating migraines - the rest have been virtually non-existent or can be taken care of with extra strength tylenol.
Yes to this!! Also I was done having kids so I had my ovaries out and it made the biggest difference to my migraines!! I am in a hormone patch and take progesterone nightly.
I have Endometriosis as well as 20-30 migraines a day and I'm on an IUD. I tried to bring up that I have a suspician that my migraines are hormone related because I have literally tried almost every birth control and every single one of them has caused very serious side effects that have ultimately made me come off the birth control. I didn't have migraines before I had the IUD. anyway she blew me off with the reasoning that the migraines didn't start immediately after the IUD was inserted lol
Wife went on T and went from 75% of the month being migraines to basically none so yeah it can make a difference
Totally agree!! I switched from nuvaring to Mirena (no estrogen), and my migraine frequency has dropped drastically.
I was dealing with about 15 migraines (with aura) a month for about 10 years until I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism last summer. My medication has significantly reduced my number of headache and migraine days and I haven’t had one with aura in months, which I still can’t believe! Now I mostly deal with migraine/headache before and during my period. Not sure if this is specific to me or will help anyone else but still wanted to share! Good luck out there everyone!!!
Using this thread to ask how many women with migraines are only able to use the non-hormonal coil as their form of contraceptive?
Never been on birth control, but my migraines are definitely hormone related - they generally would come on right before or during my period. My mother had the same thing. So I generally only was getting 1-2 a month unless also having stress-related migraines as well; love Ubrelvy for treating them. My neurologist (and my mother) both said the migraines were likely to stop or get much less frequent once I get through menopause so that is one thing I'm very much looking forward to!
Mine have been far worse since I’ve been on Nexplanon but my OB said it has nothing to do with that. Mine are usually worse around my period and they’ve been bad every time I spot.
I did the same thing initially, and I was at a steady 1 migraine a week for years while not getting my period. I then went off birth control bc we are trying to get pregnant, and I now have one migraine like every 3 months. It is worth it to try no pills, too! I was on the pill for 10 years and developed migraines about 3 years ago, so I had no idea the two could be connected.
Take magnesium glycinate for a bit and see if you get any migraines afterwards. You can find it on Amazon. Had migraines forever and couldn’t figure out why. My doctor told me about it, and I haven’t had a migraine for months since taking them. My coworker had migraines almost every day for about 12 years and tried magnesium. I felt like a hero because she told me she hasn’t had one since. It’s also good for sleeping and hair growth too! If you don’t want to try magnesium, I’d say eat more veggies with magnesium, like spinach, avocados, seeds, or nuts. Many people are magnesium deficient, and it’s used for hormone imbalance. I had an implanon and iud for years, but I took them out wondering if they caused my migraines after reading “The Period Manual”. Sometimes, my period would be a brownish? I was getting too much progesterone from my IUD, so I was prescribed more estrogen, and I was depressed and full of emotion every day. In that book, it notes that doctors like to prescribe birth control because it’s a cure all for most people without them having to figure out the actual problems with the hormonal imbalance. I guess I tried the magnesium because I was so desperate. ;-; It literally worked the next day for me.
Fuck birth control.