Doctors use the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3) to name and diagnose headache types ¹. Here are the forms you are most likely to hear about.

Migraine without aura

The most common type. Attacks last 4 to 72 hours with moderate to severe, often one-sided, throbbing pain, worsened by routine activity, along with nausea or sensitivity to light and sound ¹.

Migraine with aura

Attacks include temporary visual, sensory or speech symptoms that usually come before or with the headache ¹. People who have migraine with aura have specific considerations around estrogen-containing birth control and cardiovascular health (see Birth control, aura and stroke risk).

Episodic and chronic migraine

• Episodic migraine: fewer than 15 headache days a month.
• Chronic migraine: headache on 15 or more days a month for more than 3 months, with migraine features on at least 8 of those days ¹.

Each year a portion of people with episodic migraine move into the chronic form. Frequent use of pain relievers, obesity, sleep problems, depression and stress are among the factors linked to this change ². Read more in When migraine becomes chronic.

Vestibular migraine

Migraine can cause vertigo, dizziness and imbalance, sometimes with little or no headache. Vestibular migraine is one of the most common causes of recurring vertigo, yet it is frequently missed ^3,4. See Eyes, balance and dizziness.

Menstrual migraine

Attacks that reliably occur around the start of the period, linked to the natural drop in estrogen ⁵. See Estrogen and the menstrual cycle.

Hemiplegic migraine

A rare form in which aura includes temporary weakness on one side of the body. It can run in families and needs careful medical evaluation ¹. In Dr. Harcourt’s framework, all the usual pillars are addressed, with particular emphasis on neurological rehabilitation.

Post-traumatic headache

Headache that begins or worsens after a head injury or concussion often looks just like migraine ⁶. See Concussion and post-traumatic headache.

Research cited on this page

1. Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society. The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition (ICHD-3). Cephalalgia. 2018;38(1):1-211. Source · DOI
2. Su M, Yu S. Chronic migraine: A process of dysmodulation and sensitization. Mol Pain. 2018;14:1744806918767697. PubMed 29642749 · DOI
3. Beh SC, Masrour S, Smith SV, et al. The Spectrum of Vestibular Migraine: Clinical Features, Triggers, and Examination Findings. Headache. 2019;59(5):727-740. PubMed 30737783 · DOI
4. Formeister EJ, Rizk HG, Kohn MA, et al. The Epidemiology of Vestibular Migraine: A Population-based Survey Study. Otol Neurotol. 2018;39(8):1037-1044. PubMed 30020261 · DOI
5. Chai NC, Peterlin BL, Calhoun AH. Migraine and estrogen. Curr Opin Neurol. 2014;27(3):315-24. PubMed 24792340 · DOI
6. Kamins J, Charles A. Posttraumatic Headache: Basic Mechanisms and Therapeutic Targets. Headache. 2018;58(6):811-826. PubMed 29757458 · DOI