I'm curious -- has anyone heard about a correlation between menopause and clusters?  According to some stuff I've read, CHs tend to stop altogether or become more infrequent during and after menopause (okay guys, and I know you're the majority, you won't have much help on this one, but I know some of you may do a lot of research too).  I am PRAYING this is true as I start the countdown to that phase.  Silver lining to a life event if the beast takes a permanent hike.  If not, I'm in a spell now, and about to ask to have a 6-8 week coma induced to get me through it.   

I haven't search on this issue for some time: The only item I have on file.
=
J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2006 Jan 11 


Cluster headache in women - relation with menstruation, use of oral contraceptives, pregnancy and menopause.

van Vliet JA, Favier I, Helmerhorst FM, Haan J, Ferrari MD.

Medical Centre Haaglanden, Netherlands.

Abstract In contrast to migraine, little is known about the relationship between cluster headache and menstrual cycle, oral contraceptives, pregnancy and menopause. We performed a population-based questionnaire study among 224 female cluster headache patients, and studied the possible effect of hormonal influences on cluster headache attacks. For control data, a similar but adjusted questionnaire was sent to healthy volunteers and migraine patients. We found that menstruation, use of oral contraceptives, pregnancy and menopause had a much smaller influence on cluster headache attacks than in migraine. Cluster headache can, however, have a large impact on individual women, for example to refrain from having children.

PMID: 16407458 
=========== Follow up

After posting this abstract I was prompted to do an undated search. Quite surprised to find remarkably little--almost nothing--on the specific topic you raised. Only one report out of Austria on target of quite recent date. I suspect that medical folk wisdom assumes the issue has been settled.

There is a broad rule of thumb that Cluster starts to taper off starting around 60. No hard data, though, but enough folks report such a change that it seems like a reasonable estimate.

Thank you Bob!  I was a little afraid it wouldn't be true. 

I had to have a complete hysterectomy at a young age due to endometriosis.  It stopped my chronic migraines dead in the tracks but not the ch.

How curious you would mention that Karla.  I too have endometreosis (two surgeries and several rounds of other drugs have held it at bay but prevented me from ever becoming pregnant).  I wonder, just out of curiousity, if other women who have clusters have endo?  I doubt there's any correlation whatsoever but it was just odd that you happened to mention that.  My clusters became more severe and frequent after my first surgery.

Hey Kristie,

Being a guy...  I can't help much with your power surges...  but I would suggest you see your PCP and ask for a test of your 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, a.k.a. 25(OH)D serum levels. 

25(OH)D is the serum level metabolite of vitamin D3...  If you're like all the other CH'ers who have gone in for this lab test with active CH, your 25(OH)D concentration will come back less than 30 ng/mL.

The normal reference range for this lab test is 30-100 ng/mL, (75-250 nmol/L), but we've had CH'ers with active CH test as high as 41 ng/mL, (105 nmol/L).

What's even more exciting is CH'ers who have experienced a significant reduction in the frequency and severity of their CH or gone pain free after starting this regimen, and then had this test, have all had results come back ≥60 ng/mL, (150 nmoil/L).

In short, what I'm saying is most CH'ers are vitamin D3 deficient...  Moreover, if they supplement with 10,000 IU/day vitamin D3 as part of the anti-inflammatory regimen...  70% of them will experience a significant reduction in the frequency and severity of their Ch... or go pain free.

So... The way I see it... a 6-8 week coma to avoid your CH, when vitamin D3 might just do the trick... is just that much time lost you could be enjoying...

I've been pain free since starting the anti-inflammatory regimen in Oct 2010.  My latest tally of posts at the following link, indicate over 100 CH'ers are enjoying the benefits of the anti-inflammatory regimen with most going pain free in less than three weeks...

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My wife takes this same regimen except she bumped the vitamin D3 dose up to 15,000 IU/day and she loves it.  She looks better, feels better, and has more energy than I've seen in years...  She's also not had a single migraine that used to come regular as clockwork every month for 3 to 5 days over the last 20 years...

A few weeks ago we had a large fir tree blow down across the driveway...  My wife wanted to get her hair done and I was a bit slow to respond...  The next thing I knew she had loaded the chainsaw and ax in our pickup and was standing in the doorway with that look on her face...

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She also kicked the heck out of 74 at her birthday in December...  Go figure...

Take care,

V/R, Batch

I am in surgical menopause. TLH/RSO in Dec 2009. Before surgery my cycle had lasted from I think March 09-till surgery. My migraines AND CH have gotten worse. Now I had a LONG remission ok well 5 months? Then ended up in the ER  05/2010 with a CH AND Migraine, they broke the Migraine but not the CH and sent me on my way to a Neuro in so much pain I could not walk oh but I had a sinus infection...NO NO NO...ug.

I am not on HRT and am now 38. Now my mama. See she had surgery when she was 25 and the last ovary removed 7 yrs later. She was so suicidal she  opted for that invasive surgery back in the 90's that packed you up with a 10% solution of cocaine, it worked for her. CH's gone/Migraines too. She stopped HRT a few years ago and is reaching natural menopause age and guess what? CH are back for her. So I don't understand the studies I read because I should be OUT of cycle and why is she BACK in cycle after  almost 15 yrs?? Her Asthma came back too  as she reached her natural menopausal time.


For me as my reproductive system was dying the CH's got worse. The CH's were the herald that I was getting sicker back in 2008-09. In 2001 I had several cycles when they FIRST wanted to do the hysterectomy but I declined like a fool hoping I missed the genetic bullet. Nope. I remember my first cycle being in my early 20's like 21-22. I suddenly was unable to consume alcohol and I was like wtf I had no clue those headaches were CH's back then. That was my first concrete sign. All of these episodes coincided with reproductive issues. Surgery on ovaries(first surgery at age 19) and cysts and so forth.

None of us ever had Endo. One side of the family has horrible cysts and necrosis and the other had major fibroids, some cancer as well. I got everything and something new. A Dermoid, no one on either side had one that we know of.

I would like to see more studies on the link, if there is one. I am not even sure my grandma's had CH's or not. Migraines apparently but that's all I know. Every woman on both sides of my family loses their reproductive system. I lasted the longest at  36 yrs old. I also didn't have any kids and should have had the surgery 6-8 yrs prior.