Jeff Kiesner1, Vincent T Martin. 1. Department of Psychology, Università Degli Studi di Padova, Padova, Italy. jeff.kiesner@unipd.it
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Recent research has shown that affective changes associated with the menstrual cycle may follow diverse patterns, including a classic premenstrual syndrome pattern, as well as the mirror opposite pattern, referred to as a mid-cycle pattern. OBJECTIVE: Test for the presence of a mid-cycle pattern of headaches, in addition to a menstrual pattern and a noncyclic pattern; test for an association between experiencing a specific pattern of headaches and a specific (previously identified) pattern of depression/anxiety; and test for mean-level differences, across headache pattern groups, in average headache index and depression/anxiety scores (averaged across 2 menstrual cycles for each participant). METHODS: A sample of 213 female university students completed daily questionnaires regarding symptoms of headaches and depression/anxiety for 2 menstrual cycles. Hierarchical linear modeling, polynomial multiple regression, analyses of variance, and chi-square analyses were used to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: Confirmed the existence of a mid-cycle pattern of headaches (16%), in addition to a menstrual pattern (51%), and a noncyclic pattern of headaches (33%). Patterns of headaches and affective change were significantly associated (χ(2) = 21.33, P = .0003; 54% correspondence), as were the average headache index and depression/anxiety scores (r = .49; P < .0001). No significant mean-level differences were found between the headache pattern groups on the average headache index scores or depression/anxiety scores. CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of women experience a mid-cycle pattern of headaches during the menstrual cycle. Moreover, women often, but not always, demonstrate the same pattern of headaches and depression/anxiety symptoms.
BACKGROUND: Recent research has shown that affective changes associated with the menstrual cycle may follow diverse patterns, including a classic premenstrual syndrome pattern, as well as the mirror opposite pattern, referred to as a mid-cycle pattern. OBJECTIVE: Test for the presence of a mid-cycle pattern of headaches, in addition to a menstrual pattern and a noncyclic pattern; test for an association between experiencing a specific pattern of headaches and a specific (previously identified) pattern of depression/anxiety; and test for mean-level differences, across headache pattern groups, in average headache index and depression/anxiety scores (averaged across 2 menstrual cycles for each participant). METHODS: A sample of 213 female university students completed daily questionnaires regarding symptoms of headaches and depression/anxiety for 2 menstrual cycles. Hierarchical linear modeling, polynomial multiple regression, analyses of variance, and chi-square analyses were used to test the hypotheses. RESULTS: Confirmed the existence of a mid-cycle pattern of headaches (16%), in addition to a menstrual pattern (51%), and a noncyclic pattern of headaches (33%). Patterns of headaches and affective change were significantly associated (χ(2) = 21.33, P = .0003; 54% correspondence), as were the average headache index and depression/anxiety scores (r = .49; P < .0001). No significant mean-level differences were found between the headache pattern groups on the average headache index scores or depression/anxiety scores. CONCLUSIONS: A significant number of women experience a mid-cycle pattern of headaches during the menstrual cycle. Moreover, women often, but not always, demonstrate the same pattern of headaches and depression/anxiety symptoms.
Authors: Jemima S A Dzator; Peter R C Howe; Lyn R Griffiths; Kirsten G Coupland; Rachel H X Wong Journal: Front Neurol Date: 2021-07-07 Impact factor: 4.003