Migraines at the end of menstruation can be caused by a lack of a nutrient

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It is enough to get close to the menstrual period for the migraine to show up. Does this happen to you? This annoyance is really a reality for many women, but there are also those who suffer from this type of headache in the final stretch of menstruation. And it was this last group that researchers from the Carolina Headache Institute, in the United States, investigated in a study published in September 2016 in the journal headache.

For the work, scientists Anne Calhoun and Nicole Gill reviewed data from 119 patients who suffered from migraines related to menstruation. Of these, 30 manifested pain in the last days of that period or shortly after the end of the bleeding. The discomfort lasted for almost 3 days, one of which was intense pain.

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When investigating these women in more detail, the scholars noticed that 28 of them (93%) had very low doses of ferritin – the protein responsible for storing iron in the body. And research has already identified that anemia caused by the lack of this mineral is much more common in those who suffer from migraines linked to menstruation. The explanation for this link lies in the fact that the deficit of this nutrient decreases the levels of dopamine in the brain, which works as a trigger for migraines.

In the study, the volunteers’ pain improved with iron supplementation. But, according to the researchers, these findings still need to be validated by further work. “Larger studies are needed to better understand how this migraine occurs at the end of menstruation and its characteristics”, point out the authors, in an interview with the website MedPage Today.

where is the iron

If your blood tests always show a lack of iron, it is essential that you include foods that are sources of this mineral in your dish. In addition to beans, it is also worth betting on meat, dark green vegetables and whole grains!