A person may experience one or the other at different times. Speech disturbances, tingling or numbness, weakness in an arm or leg, perceptual disturbances such as space or size distortions, and confusion may also occur, though these symptoms are less common. Migraine auras last between 15 and 45 minutes. A type of migraine known as ocular migraine is painless and produces only auras or other visual symptoms. If untreated, attacks usually last from 4 to 72 hours.
Pain sometimes spreads to affect the entire head and is worsened by physical activity.
Extreme sensitivity to light and noise are common, and patients may feel cold and look pale. After a migraine attack, there is usually a postdrome phase, in which patients may feel exhausted and mentally foggy for a while. Although half of women with migraines report they are related to menstruation, experts believe that true menstrual migraines are less common than thought. Such migraines are without auras and defined as those that regularly occur during the first three days of menstruation, but not during ovulation or right before a period. The study found no association between menstruation and migraines with auras.