Sex hormones and chronic headache in women.
Women experience changes in headache pattern in relation to changes in their reproductive cycles. Menarche, menses, pregnancy, menopause and the use of exogenous oestrogen-containing medications frequently alter baseline headache patterns. Changing patterns of headache in women may be linked to alterations in levels of sex hormones. Sex hormones directly influence headache by affecting the activity of a variety of neurochemicals important for headache, including serotonin (5HT). Treating headache alterations in women may include therapies that modify sex hormones or neurochemicals.
Marcus
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Multidisciplinary Headache Clinic, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, PA, USA. dawnpainmd@yahoo.com
D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004967:Estrogens / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006261:Headache / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology
D004967:Estrogens; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones