Menstrual migraine sufferers

[thislittlebird]

Possibly a little bit of a niche subject this one, but I’m a menstrual migraine sufferer and I’m undergoing ivf. I’m currently in a FET tww. I was wondering how other women found their migraines changed or were effected by fertility treatment and/or a BFP?

Since doing 2 fresh round of I’ve and having my baby 3 years ago I have had menopause symptoms and a massive one is every month before I ovalate and before period starts I have horrible horrible headaches I’m only 37 x

Ivf*

@BMWqueen Did you have hormonal migraines before ivf? I’ve had them since my mid/late 20s, and they fluctuate in intensity but I’m pretty sure they’re not menopause related for me because I’ve had them so long. There’s definitely involved more vomiting as I’ve got older though.

Before fertility treatments I only had 1 migraine a month and now every time I'm on hormones for IVF. They won't stop until I stop taking the hormone.

So, now I take a daily preventative all the way up to 2 days before ET and then start with a daily low dose aspirin. It won't fully stop migraines but it makes them bearable. Aspirin also helps with implantation.

It took me several IVF rounds to get a preventative but now I end up taking less painkillers. After ET there are very few painkillers allowed.

@Cherry35 interesting, I’ve never had one in response to the meds (yet). I did ask to do a natural FET cycle because I was worried that oestrogen would trigger a migraine. Did you do medicated FET?

I’m post 10 days ET now and feels like a migraine is trying to start, very frustrating.

@thislittlebird

I've had only medicated FETs since I'm irregular. I once had to take daily estrogen and it was a nightmare. Estrogen is the worse hormone you can take for migraines, no matter if it lowers estrogen or makes it higher. E.g. Clomid.

I had to cancel that FET and pain stops after a few days once estrogen regulates.

Last time I was pregnant (but had a MMC) I still got migraines due to rising hormones (before trying aspirin) but people say the migraines stop once the hormones get stabilized.

PS. If you have to do another FET there are other medicines besides estrogen that you can use, I used Puregon.

Good luck with your FET!

@Cherry35 how irregular are you? My cycles are a bit irregular but not a lot. 27-31 days roughly. The one I just did was very annoying and I didn’t ovulate until day 22.

Weirdly I was ok when on letrozole, it didn’t have an impact on migraines, which was lucky.

I know my friend with hormonal migraines found hers went away entirely during pregnancy. I’ve been looking forward to that for so long, starting to think it’ll never happen. As expected my migraine today was a bad sign, bfn on a cheapie but I knew it when the migraine came.

Have you used Puregon? How was that?

@thislittlebird

Puregon was not too bad, becsuse dose on FET is smaller. However, any little trigger will give me a migraine. As in a little sunlight usually is OK but on hormones is a trigger.

Most hormones give me a migraine after it stsrts building up in the body. That's why I had to go on preventative.

Don't trust that migraine means BFN and everybody is different. My mom didn't have migraines when pregnant but I did. Maybe you can ask your dr about daily dose aspirin during cycles, it will help prevent migraine and improve implantation.

@Cherry35 none of my family get migraines but me, a gift from my long deceased but absent dad 🙃. I’ll definitely look into it. I’m worried by hormones aren’t stable enough for a natural cycle, if that makes sense, but that’s what I just did and it didn’t work.

I’m definitely going to ask to see a doctor and raise the aspirin thing, I’ve heard a few people say they’ve used it.

@thislittlebird

The Fertility specialist doing your IVF can tell you if is OK for you the aspirin. I still get migraines but on a very low pain level and just take panadol when needed.

It helps me not to feel bad for taking so many drugs when having a migraine when pregnant or 2WW after ET.

Good luck!

Thanks @Cherry35!

I have such bad migraines/ hormonal and not. I never even considered that they would get worse with ivf. How have you all dealt with it?

hi @Minamina, are you doing ivf at the moment?

I found all the drugs fine, no issues (I was on fairly low doses) but after the egg collection I found my migraines were worse for a few months. EC was February, I would say they’ve only been less intense the last couple of months.

Hi @Cherry35 just having a read through- I get horrendous migraines with my ivf treatment- am I right in understanding you take aspirin to reduce these? I’ve never thought to look for a solution! Xx

I'm starting soon! I guess its just something that appears differently to each. I'm almost certain I will have migraines during the process and will just have to deal with it whichever way possible..

@Agapanthus13 something that was surprisingly helpful (and suggested by my neurologist) were magnesium supplements! I found myself wondering why I hadn't had a migraine in a while..

@Minamina oooh ok thanks for the tip! I’ll def give that a go! X

Maybe just ask your GP on how much to take etc. to be safe! But overall its an amazing supplement, and helps with several pains and anxiety!