Migraine Heroes

Postpartum recovery already asks a lot from the body and migraine can make that transition even harder.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores why migraines can return after childbirth, what may be driving them, and how to better support the body during postpartum recovery.You’ll learn:💡 Why migraine can return after childbirth, even after improving during pregnancy💡 Which postpartum headache changes should not automatically be treated as your “usual migraine”💡 How Traditional Chinese Medicine looks at postpartum migraine through recovery, depletion, and rebuilding the body’s resourcesThis episode is about understanding postpartum migraine in the context of recovery, not just stopping the pain, but supporting the body as it rebuilds.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Course of Migraine During Pregnancy and Postpartum: A Prospective Study (Sances et al., 2003): This study tracks migraine improvement during pregnancy and recurrence postpartum. Read more here.The Complex Relationship Between Estrogen and Migraines: A Scoping Review (Reddy et al., 2021): This review examines estrogen fluctuations and the estrogen-withdrawal hypothesis in migraine. Read more here.Hormonal Influences in Migraine — Interactions of Oestrogen, Oxytocin and CGRP (Krause et al., 2021): This review explores how reproductive hormones and CGRP interact in migraine. Read more here.Migraine and Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review (Tiseo et al., 2020): This review examines the bidirectional relationship between migraine and sleep disorders. Read more here.Interventions for Migraine and Sleep: A Systematic Review Exploring Their Bidirectional Association (Sforza et al., 2026): This review evaluates treatments targeting migraine, sleep, or both. Read more here.Exclusive Breastfeeding Protects Against Postpartum Migraine Recurrence Attacks? (Serva et al., 2012): This study links exclusive breastfeeding with lower early postpartum migraine recurrence. Read more here.Management of Primary Headaches During Pregnancy, Postpartum, and Breastfeeding: A Systematic Review (Saldanha et al., 2021): This review evaluates headache treatments during pregnancy, postpartum, and breastfeeding. Read more here.Acute Headache in Pregnant and Post-Partum Patients: A Clinical Review (Greige et al., 2023): This review discusses primary headaches and dangerous secondary causes during pregnancy and postpartum. Read more here.Headaches in Pregnancy and Postpartum: ACOG Clinical Practice Guideline No. 3 (ACOG, 2022): This guideline covers evaluation and treatment of headaches during pregnancy and postpartum. Read more here.Beyond Postdural Puncture Headache: Headache and the Puerperium (Bavaro et al., 2026): This review covers the differential diagnosis and management of postpartum headache. Read more here.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Your desk may be affecting your migraine more than you realize.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, Diane Ducarme shares seven tiny changes that can make your working day feel easier and more migraine-friendly.You’ll learn:💡 How light, screen position, noise, and hydration can quietly affect your migraine threshold💡 7 simple, low-cost desk upgrades you can try without redesigning your workspace💡 Diane’s special productivity trick and how one simple sheet of paper can completely change the way you work👉 Download Diane’s productivity sheet, a simple tool designed to help you reduce mental clutter, stay focused on what matters most, and get more done without keeping everything in your head.🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:A Neural Mechanism for Exacerbation of Headache by Light (Noseda et al., 2010): This study identifies a neural pathway through which light can worsen migraine pain. Read more here.Migraine and Light: A Narrative Review (Artemenko et al., 2022): This review examines photophobia and how light can influence migraine attacks. Read more here.Factors Negatively Affecting a Migraine-Friendly Workplace in Healthcare (Aydinlar et al., 2026): This study identifies workplace factors that can worsen migraine burden among healthcare workers. Read more here.Digital Screen Exposure and Migraine Burden: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Gowda et al., 2026): This review examines the relationship between screen exposure and migraine burden. Read more here.Identification of Work Accommodations and Interventions Associated With Work Productivity in Adults With Migraine (Begasse de Dhaem et al., 2021): This review identifies workplace accommodations that may support productivity in people with migraine. Read more here.Migraine and the Environment (Friedman & De Ver Dye, 2009): This review examines environmental migraine triggers such as light, odors, air quality, and weather. Read more here.SEEDS for Success: Lifestyle Management in Migraine (Robblee & Starling, 2019): This review outlines lifestyle strategies involving sleep, exercise, eating, diaries, and stress management. Read more here.Color and Spatial Frequency Are Related to Visual Pattern Sensitivity in Migraine (Shepherd et al., 2013): This study examines how color and visual patterns influence discomfort in migraine. Read more here.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Can birth control trigger migraines or make hormonal migraines worse? The answer may have less to do with simply having “too much estrogen” and more to do with how your hormones rise, fall, and change over time.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores the connection between migraine, hormones, birth control, and the menstrual cycle, including why migraine attacks may appear around menstruation or during the hormone-free days of contraception.You’ll learn:💡 Why hormonal fluctuations and estrogen withdrawal may contribute to menstrual migraine💡 Why migraine with aura matters when choosing hormonal birth control💡 What to do if your migraines begin or noticeably change after starting contraceptionYou’ll also learn how different forms of birth control can create very different hormonal patterns and why understanding your individual migraine response matters.If you think your migraines may be linked to your hormones or birth control, this episode will help you know what to track and what to discuss with your doctor.Ask Diane Anything: Live Q&AHave a migraine question? Join Diane live to ask your questions or simply listen.👉 Register here: migraineheroes.com/live🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:Menstrual Migraine Is Caused by Estrogen Withdrawal: Revisiting the Evidence (Raffaelli et al., 2023): This review reassesses the evidence linking estrogen withdrawal to menstrual migraine. Read more here.Hormonal Contraceptives and Migraine Frequency and Severity in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (Alju et al., 2026): This review examines how hormonal contraceptives may affect migraine frequency and severity. Read more here.Use of Combined Hormonal Contraceptives Among Women With Migraines and Risk of Ischemic Stroke (Champaloux et al., 2017): This study examines stroke risk according to migraine type and combined hormonal contraceptive use. Read more here.Safety of Hormonal Contraceptives Among Women With Migraine: A Systematic Review (Tepper et al., 2016): This review evaluates vascular risks of hormonal contraception in women with migraine. Read more here.Hormonal Contraceptives and Risk of Ischemic Stroke in Women With Migraine (Sacco et al., 2017): This consensus statement provides guidance on contraception and stroke risk in women with migraine. Read more here.Effectiveness of the Progestin-Only Pill for Migraine Treatment in Women (Warhurst et al., 2018): This review evaluates progestin-only contraception as a potential migraine treatment. Read more hereU.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, 2024 (CDC, 2024): These guidelines classify contraceptive safety for different medical conditions, including migraine with and without aura. Read more here.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Living with chronic migraine can feel deeply isolating. Pain, unpredictable attacks, cancelled plans, and feeling misunderstood can slowly make your world feel smaller.In this episode of Migraine Heroes Podcast, host Diane Ducarme explores the connection between migraine, loneliness, social isolation, and support, and how to stay connected without pushing your body beyond what it can manage. This episode is about finding a connection that works with your migraine not against it.You’ll learn:💡 How to create migraine-safe forms of social connection without exhausting yourself💡 How to explain what migraine support actually looks like to the people around you💡 Why supportive relationships can matter more than having a large social circle and how small moments of connection can help you feel less aloneYou do not need to rebuild your entire social life to feel supported. Sometimes one understanding person, one message, or one small moment of connection can begin to open your world again.Ask Diane Anything: Live Q&AHave a migraine question? Join Diane live to ask your questions or simply listen.👉 Register here: migraineheroes.com/live🎧 New episodes every Monday and Wednesday🔗 Discover our work on migraineheroes.comReferences:My Migraine Voice Survey: A Global Study of Disease Burden Among Individuals With Migraine for Whom Preventive Treatments Have Failed (Martelletti et al., 2018): This global survey highlights the personal, social, and professional burden of migraine. Read more here.The Social Life of Migraine: A Meta-Ethnography of Lived Experience in Adults With Migraine (Ng et al., 2026): This review explores how migraine affects identity, relationships, and social participation. Read more here.Impact of Migraine on the Family: Perspectives of People With Migraine and Their Spouse/Domestic Partner in the CaMEO Study (Buse et al., 2016): This study examines how migraine affects partners and family life. Read more here.Life With Migraine: Effects on Relationships, Career, and Finances From the CaMEO Study (Buse et al., 2019): This study shows migraine’s impact on relationships, careers, and finances. Read more here.The Stigma of Migraine (Young et al., 2013): This study examines the social stigma experienced by people with migraine. Read more here.Loneliness and Migraine Self-Management: A Cross-Sectional Assessment (Lui et al., 2020): This study explores how loneliness relates to migraine self-management. Read more here.Poor Social Support and Loneliness in Chronic Headache: Prevalence and Effect Modifiers (Westergaard et al., 2021): This study found greater loneliness and poor social support among people with chronic headache. Read more here.The Family Impact of Migraine: Population-Based Studies in the USA and UK (Lipton et al., 2003): This study shows that migraine can substantially affect partners, children, and family activities. Read more here.Disclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.

Got a migraine question the podcast hasn’t quite answered for you?Join Diane live for Ask Diane Anything on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Bring your questions about migraine, hormones, sleep, food, exercise or simply come and listen.✨ Free to attend📅 Thursday, September 24🔗 Register at migraineheroes.com/liveDisclaimer: This podcast is for informational purposes only and isn't a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your healthcare provider for health-related concerns.