Women and Migraines

Is it true that as a rule womwn get migraine headaches more often than men?

The answer is "yes."

Statistics show that almost 30 million Americans suffer from these chronic headaches and that three out of every four of them are women.

Why are women more susceptible to migraines?

The biggest problem with migraine headaches is that there is no discernible cause. This makes it extremely difficult to know why women get more migraine headaches than men. Many experts believe that menstrual cycles and other biological changes in women can trigger the headaches, as can stress, the weather or even noise.

If you are worried about migraines

If you think you are suffering from migraines, you need to ask yourself some critical questions. These include "are you missing work or unable to concentrate?" "When you get a headache do you need to keep your eyes closed?Õ And "if someone tries to touch your head do you recoil or try not to talk?" If you answer yes to all or most of these questions, it is likely that you have migraine headaches.

Keep a journal

One important thing you should do is start a journal in which you track your headaches and hormonal cycles. You should also track your sleeping and eating patterns, as well as the weather.

One expert suggests that you can really tell a lot from a journal such as this. For example, if you can relate your migraines to your hormonal cycles, you will at least know what to expect and can begin taking steps to mitigate the pain.

Many treatments available

There are many treatments available today for migraines. There are drugs that can be used to at least mitigate the pain of a migraine and non-prescription treatments that can help. These can range from relaxation techniques and leanred breathing to knowing when to cut back on red wine when you're at a higher risk for developing a migraine. Also, some simple lifestyle can often go a long way towards reducing the pain of a migraine.

Migraines and estrogen levels

One expert on migraines, Maria Carmen-Wilson of the Tampa General Hospital, has pointed out that the likelihood of suffering from a migraine headache fluctuates as estrogen levels fall and rise in the brain. She has found that young girls rarely suffer migraines and when they do, they experience them at about the same rate as boys. She has also found that the first time diagnosis of a migraine usually happens around the time of the girls first menstrual cycle and that about 60% of women with chronic migraines experience increased symptoms during their periods. Finally, she says that birth control pills that create a steady hormone release in a woman's body -- rather than a sudden onset -- can reduce the risk of migraines for some but not all women.