The Effect of Vitamin E on Prevention of Menstrual Migraine

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Abstract

  Background : The concern of the present research was to study vitamin E and its antioxidant medical quality, which is going to prove very useful to prevent prostaglandins formation. This study is done with regard to this scientific observation that one of the causes of menstrual migraine is the increase in the secretion of prostaglandins around the time of menstrual period and the proper doses of vitamin E which are very useful for preventing menstrual migraine.   Materials & Methods : This research was done via clinical trial ‚ random ‚ double blind and cross over study. In the first step 300 university students who were all living in the dormitory were chosen. They were all affected by menstrual migraine and among them 84 people who were afflicted by the real menstrual migraine ‚ were separated and they were randomly divided to two groups. The first group ‚ in the first two menstrual cycles ‚ was given vitamin E and after wash out cycle ‚ during the next two menstrual cycles ‚ they were given placebo. The procedure was reversed for the second group. During the first two cycles the students in the second group were given placebo ad after wash out cycle ‚ during the next two menstrual cycles ‚ they were given vitamin E. Meanwhile the fluctuating average of severe headaches and their duration ‚ the amount of medicine (sedation) used ‚ the intensity of photophobia and phonophobia ‚ nausea along with their headaches and finally the degree and rate of their daily activity when they had headache were all evaluated. Eventually 67 people of both groups entered the final stage of analysis.   Results: The research indicated that in both groups ‚ both vitamin E and placebo were very effective on the reduction the average intensity of headache ‚ photophobia and phonophobia ‚ nausea along with headaches and the amount of medicine used ‚ but it is observed that the effect of vitamin E was more than placebo (p < 0.05).   Conclusion: From considering and comparing the activity of people that have used vitamin E in a period of time and whose that used placebo showed that vitamin E is much more effective in preventing menstrual migraine and alleviating the pain. In addition, since vitamin E did not have any side effect ‚ it could considered as a proper alternative for menstrual migraine prevention treatment.

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