Causes of menstrual headaches

I believe many women have experienced the feeling of menstruation. Some women do not feel it obviously or even do not feel anything during menstruation. However, some women feel uncomfortable all over their body during menstruation and may even have menstrual headaches. Sometimes it even affects their work and life. Let us now understand the causes of menstrual headaches.

Among headache patients, women are significantly more than men, accounting for about 70% of all headache patients. Clinical studies have shown that this is related to physiological factors unique to women - 63% of women's headaches are closely related to menstruation. In addition to menstruation, women may also suffer from headaches at other times. Clinically, headaches that occur before, during, and after menstruation are called menstrual headaches.

Specific reasons:

Menstrual headache is one of the common diseases among women and belongs to the category of "premenstrual tension syndrome" in modern medicine. The clinical manifestations are headaches that occur 3 to 7 days before menstruation and are relieved or disappear during or after menstruation. The onset of the disease is often closely related to the liver, spleen, and kidneys. The classification and treatment are as follows.

Premenstrual headaches of liver depression and qi stagnation type are often characterized by a tightness or throbbing sensation, which fluctuates with changes in emotions, and are accompanied by chest and flank fullness, irritability, tinnitus, poor vision, a red tongue with yellow coating, and a stringy or slippery pulse. The liver is the organ of wind and wood, and only wind can reach the top of the head. If the emotions are not harmonious and anger and depression damage the liver, the depression will turn into fire, the blood will be hot and blocked, and the collaterals will be blocked, which will cause headaches. The treatment should be to soothe the liver and relieve depression, promote qi and relieve pain. The prescription is Chaihu Shugan San with modifications. The bupleurum, white peony root, tangerine peel, Cyperus rotundus and Citrus aurantium in the prescription can soften the liver, soothe the liver, regulate qi and relieve pain. Chuanxiong is a blood-qi medicine, and it is combined with Angelica dahurica to disperse the wind and guide the medicine directly to the head and face to the diseased area.

Headaches of liver depression and spleen deficiency type are often accompanied by fullness or heaviness in the head, nausea, poor appetite, fullness in the flanks and abdomen, fatigue and drowsiness, or frequent belching, thin white or thick and greasy tongue coating, and a wiry and slippery pulse.

Before menstruation, blood flows into the uterus, drawing away essence and blood, causing the liver to malnourished, liver qi to stagnate, and liver yang to move inversely and disturb the upper orifices. At the same time, it affects the spleen's function of transporting and transforming water and dampness, causing dampness and turbidity to accumulate inside the body and cover the clear orifices with the reversed yang, thus causing menstrual headaches. The treatment should be to soothe the liver and relieve depression, strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness, use Xiaoyao San combined with Sijunzi Decoction with modifications. Among them, Xiaoyao San is the key prescription for liver-spleen disharmony; Sijunzi Decoction can invigorate Qi and strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness and turbidity.

The menstrual headache of phlegm and blood stasis type is like a stabbing or stuffy pain, fixed in the front, dark complexion, nausea, irritability, thirst, dark tongue or ecchymosis, thick and greasy tongue coating, and slippery pulse. Liver depression or liver deficiency, Qi is not smooth, blood circulation is weak, then the collaterals are stagnant, or spleen deficiency and dampness stagnation lead to disease, phlegm and blood stasis block the clear orifices, clear yang cannot rise, turbid Qi accumulates in the brain collaterals, so headache occurs. The treatment should be to promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, eliminate phlegm and dredge the meridians. The medicinal Erchen Decoction is combined with Huoluo Xielingdan with modifications. In the prescription, Erchen Decoction eliminates phlegm and promotes qi, Huoluo Xielingdan dredges the meridians and relieves pain. Curcuma aromatica soothes the liver, Gardenia jasminoides clears heat, and white mustard seeds remove phlegm inside and outside the skin and membranes.

The above is an introduction to some of the reasons for headaches during menstruation. In fact, there are many internal reasons. Depending on each person's physical constitution, the symptoms during menstruation are also different. However, all women should pay attention to ensure that they are in a happy mood during menstruation.