Visual aura migraines?

[Flowerpower456]

Hi, just after some others experiences really to help make sense of my own!

I was pregnant in 2023 and experienced two visual aura migraines ( vision would go pixelated in one eye, slowly covering half my eye , lasting approximately 20 mins then disappear followed by headache)
I Didn’t mention it to midwife or anything at the time ( I know I should of) as just thought oh just a migraine as my mum suffers from them and my friend so I didn’t think anything out of the ordinary.

I then didn’t have another episode until September 2024, where it happened when I was driving ( not ideal!) distorted vision in one eye for about 20 mins and feeling dizzy and again followed by a headache that lasted a few hours.
I went for an eye test and all was fine.
it then happened again in December 2024.. weirdly at the same time of my menstrual cycle as the time in September. But then today I have experienced one at work ( admittedly I am worried today as stressful and not slept that well last few days) but it’s at a different point in my menstual cycle so am more concerned. I have made a gp appt for this Friday but just wanted to hear if it is a common thing and if anyone ever found a root cause?
thanks for reading

I sometimes get a weird sparkly, twinkly bright coloured zig-zag thing that takes about half an hour to clear, and I've never found it linked hormonally in any way. It seems to happen completely at random.

Perhaps an optician's appointment? They can check things a GP can't.

It's always worth checking them out. I had visual migraines at least once a week for years. Never found any particular cause or trigger but they eventually went away.

Get an eye heath check before the GP. They will only send you there first.

I did have one in September after that episode and was given all clear.

Optician will say to get BP checked.

OP mine started like yours, they were mostly around my period but occasionally mid cycle too. I used to go through a prescription of sumatriptan every month. No root cause, just suddenly started suffering in my early 30’s. I happened to have a brain scan with contrast for another issue and everything was absolutely fine, my BP is lower than average and my eye tests are always up to date, just one of those things.

Some people are triggered by certain foods though. Chocolate is a common one. Would it be worth keeping a food diary for a couple of months and seeing if there’s a common cause?

Was it just the one eye or both affected?

My bp is checked regularly as I had post partum hypertension which resolved but left me hyper vigilant! bp is always within normal range.

food diary is an interesting thought. My diet definitely could be better!

Also weird as I am also 33 so early thirties. How are your migraines now? Was it just one eye affected?

I had my first in my early 30s after my eldest was born. They were very infrequent and not always followed by headache.

I had them more severely (worst one I temporarily lost the ability to recognise letters on a keyboard or speak) towards the end of my second pregnancy and because I was pregnant was more closely monitored. They weren't associated with high bp.

Since then, they are definitely hormonal but also affected by dehydration and I also got them more frequently when I needed reading glasses (3 or 4 a day at that point).

If you want to track your symptoms and possible triggers I would recommend an app called Migraine Buddy. It's really helpful for noticing patterns.

I started getting these in my mid 20s. I was on the microgynon pill which is one of the pills that contains estrogen; unfortunately estrogen rises can result in blood pressure strikes for some women, which causes migraines with aura. I was recommended by my doc to stop taking that pill and never use estrogen containing contraceptives again, as doing so could increase my risk of strokes later in life.

I do still occasionally get migraine auras 10 years later; the usual correspond with some point in my cycle, be it ovulation or the week of my actual period itself. Speak to your GP, but it's likely a hormonal thing

Yes I have these, when I started getting them around 8yrs ago I saw my GP and he referred to it as an "occular migraine", optician checked me out also and everything was fine. I get them a handful of times per year and usually during stressful times. My GP told me as a rule of thumb to time the length of visual disturbance as it should last no longer than one hour and should only be in the one eye.