Photo Credit: Graphic_BKK1979

The following is a summary of “Evaluation of the effectiveness of greater occipital nerve blockade in menstrual migraine,” published in the February 2025 issue of BMC Neurology by Cetin et al. 

Researchers conducted a prospective study to compare the short-term prophylactic efficacy of greater occipital nerve (GON) blockade in menstrual migraine (MM) subgroups.  

They conducted a prospective study with 33 patients diagnosed with MM (15 with pure menstrual migraine [PMM] and 18 with menstrually related migraine [MRM]). Patients received bilateral GON blockade once a month, 1 week before menstrual bleeding, for 3 months. Evaluations were performed before treatment (month 0) and after treatment completion (months 3 and 6) using Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Headache Impact Test-6 (HIT-6), Migraine Disability Assessment (MIDAS), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores. 

The results showed that patients with MRM had a lower age of MM onset (P = 0.024), higher headache frequency (P = 0.004), and increased medication overuse (P = 0.027) compared to patients with PMM. After the GON blockade, significant improvements in VAS, HIT-6, MIDAS, and BDI scores were observed in both subgroups, with no significant differences. Improvements persisted during the medication-free follow-up period (months 3–6). Patients with mild or no depression showed greater quality of life improvement. A 50% reduction in headache days correlated with significant BDI score improvement. 

Investigators found GON blockade effective for short-term and long-term MM prophylaxis, reducing headache frequency and improving quality of life. Further research with larger cohorts and placebo-controlled trials was needed. 

Source: bmcneurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12883-025-04070-2