Final answer:
Oral contraceptives affect menstrual-associated migraine headaches by stabilizing hormone levels, with combined pills potentially reducing migraine occurrences and progesterone-only pills causing irregular periods. Continuous low-dose hormone pills may prevent menstrual-related migraine triggers by eliminating hormone level decline.
Step-by-step explanation:
Oral contraceptives can significantly impact menstrual-associated migraine headaches due to their influence on the hormonal fluctuations that often trigger these headaches. Combined oral contraceptives containing both estrogen and progesterone can stabilize hormone levels throughout the menstrual cycle, potentially reducing the frequency and severity of migraines associated with menstruation. However, it is essential to note the risk associated with combined contraceptives, such as a slightly increased risk of blood clots. Furthermore, the use of contraceptives providing a constant level of hormones could potentially lead to an absence of menstrual periods (amenorrhea), which some patients might use to avoid cyclic migraine triggers. On the other hand, progesterone-only pills, which do not significantly increase the risk of blood clots, may cause irregular menstrual periods, which can be unpredictable for migraine occurrences. Additionally, during the placebo week of a 28-day pill pack where hormone levels drop, migraines could still be triggered. New formulations of oral contraceptives deliver low-dose hormones continuously, eliminating the decline in hormones and the placebo week, thus possibly preventing the menstrual-related triggering of migraines entirely.