An Unusual Catamenial Ailment: Trigeminal Neuralgia and Menstrual Cycle

A 45-year-old woman presented for trigeminal neuralgia with a unique clinical course. Her trigeminal neuralgia was exacerbated with increased severity in pain and frequency in episodes 3 to 4 days prior to, but subsided 2 to 3 days after, the start each of her menses, manifesting as a catamenial syndrome. Her trigeminal neuralgia was well controlled with low dose of carbamazepine. This is the first case report on a woman with primary trigeminal neuralgia with a plausible relationship to her menstrual cycles.