Posted by Sonya (152.163.201.206) on January 30, 2000 at 01:26:36:
In Reply to: Search for an etiology posted by DocGreg on January 29, 2000 at 20:54:03:
All of this may be totally off base but since you asked for any ideas so here goes.My first clusters started when I was 11. My menstrual cycle began about a year later. I was on and off of birth control pills due to constant and very heavy menstrual flow and I was in remission for several years. When I decided I could no longer tolerate the side effects of the bc pills, I stopped taking them and my clusters started again. They became regular cycles from about age 17-26. Meanwhile, my menstrual cycles were irregular again and I was unsuccessful in conceiving because I wasn't ovulating. I got pregnant in November 1996 after taking clomid for one menstrual cycle. I didn't have any more clusters until late August 1998. I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome on July 30th 1998 and started taking Provera for 6 days each month to regulate my periods. Since that cluster cycle ended in October 1998, I have had only 3 cluster attacks and those were in December 1999 and this month. I have no history of head trauma nor any exceptional physical charateristics other than a tendency to be slightly overweight unless I fight it very hard. I guess you can tell that I think hormonal balance plays some role in clusters and Dr. Goadsby's findings have reinforced this for me. Now this begs a question-do the extra cells in the hypothalamus cause the hormonal imbalance which in turn causes clusters OR do they cause both through unrelated(other than the hypothalamus connection) processes?