Question

I've been charting my cycle for almost a year. After having a D&C to remove polyps and fibroids my doctor diagnosed me as having PMS and accompanying underactive thyroid. She has prescribed 200mg of Prometrium on days P+3 through P+12 of my cycle. The first month of using the natural progesterone was great.

But my current cycle has been miserable. I've gotten migraine headaches almost every other day before and during my cycle. I've also noticed my PMS symptoms seem to have come back just as bad as before the Prometrium. However, I can deal with almost all of the other symptoms except the migraines. Could the Prometrium be causing the migraines?

On the first month of using the Progesterone the main side-effect I suffered from was a constant runny nose. Getting these headaches has also made me realize that the sinus headaches I thought I have been suffering from over the past few years were in fact migraine headaches. They fit the same pattern: always in the morning, in my right eye, runny nose, watery eye, excruciating pain and nausea.

I'd like to continue with the Prometrium and am hoping it will cause the headaches to end. Does NaProTechnology help menstrual migraines?

Thanks. Felicia

Answer

Hi Felicia,

Yes, NaProTechnology usually works very well for migraine headaches. The most common cause is low progesterone in the luteal phase, which usually responds well to the Prometrium. However, since your headaches are not getting better, you need further investigation.

Your symptoms could be from a number of things, such as allergies, since it is spring. They may be from cluster headaches, which classically have the same timing, have very sharp pain, associated with the runny nose and watery eyes. The headaches could also be exacerbated by sleep apnea, so be sure to tell your doctor if you snore or feel sleepy during the day. It is also possible that you just need a dosage adjustment on the Prometrium, and your doctor can check blood levels, if that hasn't been done before.

So don't give hope - it sometimes just takes a while to get the best treatment plan for each patient, and you need to keep in communication with your doctor.

Sincerely,

Lynn Kerr,M.D.

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