Posted by Jackie M. on February 02, 1999 at 08:44:57:
In Reply to: Help! Women Sufferers: Do You Know if Hormones Have an Effect?? posted by Chris on January 29, 1999 at 19:54:11:
Chris,
I believe that hormones play a role in triggering cluster (I'm not referring to migraine, they are very different) headaches. That's not to say that I believe they are the sole trigger, but rather a strand in the complex web of cluster triggers. For instance, there is a poster here (Gary G.) who has often mentioned the role of the hypothalmus. I think that's a plausible theory, in that the hypothalmus plays a role in the production of hormones. The hypothalmus is also connected to thyroid function. I have suffered from hypothyroidism for many years, yet when I was finally placed on synthetic thyroid medication I did experience a reduction in frequency of clusters. So in answer to your question; yes, I do feel hormones play a PART in triggering clusters. But it's sort of like baking a cake; you have to have all the right ingredients in proper measures to make the perfect one, but if you leave out a tsp. of salt or short on the flour, you'll still have a cake; just not the perfect one. Clusters are just a complex HELL. I've come to know this on my own after 25 years.
P.S. My very first cluster attack came on my 21st birthday, shortly after I had gone off the BC pill. I'll never forget that day. I thought I was dying of a brain tumor.
All my best,
Jackie M.