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Table 1 Headache and menstrual cycle definitions

From: Burden of migraine related to menses: results from the AMPP study

American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention Study, 2009

Self-reported definitions used in this paper

Self-reported predominantly Menstrual migraine (MM)

Headaches in relation to your period: “all of my headaches are related to my menstrual cycle”(my headaches ONLY happen around the time of my period (from two days before to three days after the start of menstruation)

Self-reported Menstrually-associated migraine (MAM)

Headaches in relation to your period: “I am more likely to get headaches with my period but they also occur at other times of the month

Self-reported Menstrually-unrelated migraine (MUM)

Headaches in relation to your period: “my headaches are not related to my menstrual cycle

International Headache Society (ICHD-3beta) [2]

Diagnostic Criteria

Pure menstrual migraine

Documented and prospectively collected evidence that attacks occur exclusively on day 1 ± 2 (i.e., days -2 to +3)1 of menstruation in at least two out of three menstrual cycles and at no other times of the cycle

Menstrually-related migraine

Documented and prospectively collected evidence that attacks occur on day 1 ± 2 (i.e., days -2 to +3)1 of menstruation in at least two out of three menstrual cycles and additionally at other times of the cycle

Non-menstrual migraine

Attacks have no menstrual relationship

  1. 1- The first day of menstruation is day 1 and the preceding day is day -1; there is no day 0.