Polycistic ovarian syndrome

Does anyone here have polycistic ovarian syndrome in addition to the migraines? My daughter has started having a lot of headaches and now has been given this diagnosis. The doctor is not giving her any treatment for it and wants to see if it's just stress.

With our family history of migraines I'm a bit worried about this. She's in grad school, which is stressful for her, but it's hard to get finished with all these headaches. Seems like a catch 22. Does anyone know if they are connected? Both seem to involve hormonal imbalances.

Hi,

I have no clue if they are connected. I know that periods can make migraines worse- so I suppose it is possible, but I really don't know.

If the headaches are really bad, she should be able to get a disability qualification- which would allow her some extended time on work- and possibly reduce stress through the Disability/special services center ar her college. This is just a suggestion, but I would not have survived college or grad school without one. Good Luck. I hope your daughter feels better soon and is able to get treatment.

Painfree days,
sailingm

Because PCOS is so common and migraine is so common, I'm sure there would be plenty of women with PCOS who get migraine, and plenty of women without PCOS who get migraine also. I haven't heard of a causal link though - like some gene that causes both. Migraine is not a hormonal imbalance though - it's a sensitivity to hormones (and any/every other substance/stimulus under the sun). It's a neurological disorder which just happens (for some people) to have hormones as one of the triggers. Quick poll - I know lots of people with migraine and two people with PCOS and the two people with PCOS don't have migraine. Not a scientific poll I know!

What is the doctor not treating? the Migraine or the PCOS? If she starts to take hormone therapy and she also has migraine, she might end up with additional migraines because of the estrogen. I wanted to go on the pill to stop the period and ovulation migraines and my doctor explained that the pill would make the migraines worse. Hopefully your daughters doctor is aware of the effect of hormones on migraine and isn't going to blame your daughter's 'stress'. At any rate, she should have access to all the migraine abortives to help her get through. Best of luck.