Premenstrual Headache Relieved by Estrogen Therapy1

In the course of a study of the sex cycle of the human female which is being made in this laboratory, a number of patients have been referred for various disturbances related to menstruation. Of these, one group of 6 patients present a rather constant syndrome, of which the chief complaint is premenstrual headache and a report of the observations seems worth while at this time. The first patient of this group, case I is an energetic woman in her middle thirties, highstrung, and a participant in a variety of community activities. She complained of severe throbbing headache the onset of which could be expected regularly 6 days premenstrualy. The headache persisted with varying intensity until the 2nd or 3rd day of the menstrual flow. During this period of constant headache, the patient experienced fears, chiefly of impending catastrophe, either to herself or to her family.