I Get Splitting Headaches and Vomit Before Every Period | Premenstrual Headaches and Vomiting

Hello. This is Baekrokdam Korean Medicine Clinic.

A Body That Collapses Every Month, Yet No Diagnosis

Have you ever experienced something like this?

A few days before your period starts, your head aches so intensely it feels like it might burst, you feel nauseous and might vomit, your eyes feel strained, your abdomen feels upset, and you're unable to do anything.

When you visit the hospital, they say there's nothing wrong and suggest taking painkillers for a possible migraine. However, the painkillers don't work, or they only provide temporary relief, and these symptoms repeat every month in the same pattern. Your tests are normal, yet you feel like you're collapsing.

Today, we've prepared this for those who experience such symptoms. We will delve deeper into what's happening in the bodies of patients who suffer from recurrent premenstrual headaches and vomiting, and why their suffering repeats without a clear medical diagnosis.

Recurring Symptoms Without a Diagnosis

This is about a 31-year-old working woman. She experiences considerable work stress, but her usual condition is generally good. However, about two days before her period starts, the same symptoms appear without fail.

First, she starts feeling a pulling pain at the back of her head, her eyes ache, she feels nauseous, and eventually vomits. She has even vomited after meals. On those days, she has to lie down all day, unable to work.

Initially, she visited internal medicine, neurology, and obstetrics/gynecology. She underwent MRI, blood tests, and even hormone tests, but everything came back normal. The diagnoses were 'menstruation-related migraine' or 'stress-induced symptoms'. But the patient says, "This isn't just a headache. It feels like my brain is collapsing."

The Brain Interprets Hormone Levels; It Doesn't Just Accept Them

The premenstrual period is when the most significant endocrine fluctuations occur in a woman's body. However, the crucial point is that the problem isn't solely the drop in hormone levels, but rather how the brain 'interprets' these changes.

Before menstruation, progesterone and estrogen levels drop sharply and simultaneously. At this time, the brain's inhibitory circuits (GABA) become less active, sensory circuits become more sensitive, and notably, the vagus and trigeminal nerves in the brainstem react acutely.

Consequently, even small stimuli can lead to headaches, nausea, anxiety, and vomiting. Therefore, these symptoms can be seen not as a direct result of "hormone levels themselves," but rather as a result of "the brain's hypersensitive reaction to those changes."

Symptoms Are Moments When Vulnerabilities Emerge

However, premenstrual headaches or vomiting don't affect everyone. Despite experiencing the same hormonal changes, some individuals feel fine, while others become severely debilitated. Why is this?

Consider it this way: our bodies normally possess a 'covering system.' Elements like hormones, the autonomic nervous system, emotional regulation, and bodily perception act as a protective shield, covering up daily imbalances. But the premenstrual period is when this covering is stripped away.

Once the powerful buffer of hormones is removed, the regulatory capabilities of sensory, emotional, and visceral functions—which were barely holding on—become exposed. Thus, premenstrual symptoms are not merely due to hormones, but rather a time when the body's 'existing vulnerabilities' become apparent.

Traditional Korean Medicine Interpretation: Upward Counterflow, Empty Fire Agitation, Phlegm-Heat Disturbing Upwards

In Traditional Korean Medicine, these symptoms are not merely regarded as 'migraines' or 'indigestion'. We interpret them as patterns of regulatory failure, or *byeonggi* (pathogenesis).

For example, there are patterns such as:

1. Liver Yang Rising (Ganhwa Sanghang / 肝陽上亢) - For those who experience high stress or severe suppression of anger. Before menstruation, Liver Fire rises, causing headaches and bloodshot eyes.
2. Yin Deficiency with Fire Agitation (Eumheo Hwadong / 陰虛火動) - For those who are tired but cannot rest well, and have sensitive autonomic nerves. Symptoms worsen at night, accompanied by a hot sensation in the head, dry mouth, and vomiting.
3. Phlegm-Heat Disturbing Upwards (Damyeol Sangyo / 痰熱上擾) - Accompanied by abdominal bloating, frequent phlegm, vomiting, and nausea. The head feels heavy and foggy, and senses are dulled.

Thus, even with the same premenstrual headache and vomiting, the body's underlying structural imbalances can be entirely different, and intervention strategies will vary accordingly.

The Core of Treatment is Not Suppression, But Regulation

So, how should this be treated? It's not a problem that can be solved by simply taking painkillers, because that only silences the alarm ringing on the surface.

What we need to do is 'help the body restore its regulatory system when its covering is lost.' The intervention point of Traditional Korean Medicine lies precisely here. For example:

• For Liver Fire Rising pattern (Ganhwa Sanghang-hyeong) → *Longdan Xiegan Tang* (Yongdam Sageon-tang)
• For Yin Deficiency with Fire Agitation pattern (Eumheo Hwadong-hyeong), associated with Taichong (LV3) and Fengchi (GB20) points → *Zhibai Dihuang Wan* (Jibaek Jihwang-hwan)
• For Phlegm-Heat Disturbing Upwards pattern (Damyeol Sangyo-hyeong), associated with Zhaohai (KI6) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) points → *Wendan Tang* (Ondam-tang)
• Acupuncture points Fenglong (ST40) and Neiguan (PC6)

This is how we design treatment, by re-regulating the body's control systems according to the pathogenic structure.

Symptoms Are Not a Disease, But the Body's Language

The recurrent premenstrual headaches and vomiting are not merely suffering that exists to be labeled with a disease name. They can be a monthly warning message from your body, a signal that your current regulatory system can no longer cope.

Rather than suppressing these signals, true treatment involves interpreting why they appear repeatedly at this particular time and designing a recovery that restores your regulatory power.

#premenstrualsymptoms #pms #premenstrualvomiting #premenstrualheadache