An estimated 1 in 4 women will experience a migraine in their lifetime, according to the Migraine Research Foundation. Migraines are the third most common illness in the world, and the majority of migraine sufferers are women. In fact, 18% of women in America experience migraines as compared to only 6% of men and 10% of children. So what causes migraines in females, and why are women more likely to deal with this illness?
What's In This Article?
Before exploring the actual causes of migraines in women, some statistics shed light on how much more this issue tends to affect women than men.
For example:
So why these startling statistics? Many of the reasons women suffer migraines more commonly than men in adulthood are linked to hormones.
For example, some of the top causes of migraines in females are:
When you’re a woman, and you experience migraines, one of the very likely culprits for this can be your hormones and fluctuations you experience in hormones.
Hormone levels in women are impacted by many things, including your menstrual cycle and pregnancy, as well as oral contraceptives and menopause.
Examples of specific causes of migraines in females that are related to hormones include:
Beyond hormonal reasons, what causes migraines in females?
Common reasons women may experience a migraine include:
There have been some research studies looking at why migraines are more common in women than men. One recent study was conducted by researchers at the Universitas Miguel Hernandez in Spain. Professor Antonio Ferrer-Montiel said that the research team observed significant differences in males and females when it comes to sex hormones and how they can be responsible for migraines.
There is something called the trigeminovascular system that’s made up of neurons in the cranial nerve. Current research suggests migraines may be related to activity in this system.
In the Spanish study, the team of researchers believe the active of sex-specific hormones interact with this system and in a way that makes nerve cells more sensitive to certain migraine triggers.
The research findings were published in the Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences journal.
The hope from the team leading the research is that their findings and future findings may be able to lead to more personalized, effective migraine treatments.
Some hormones, like estrogen, can play a role in the development of migraines while testosterone can actually play a role in protecting you against migraines.
Along with head pain, hormonal migraines may also be accompanied by other symptoms. A menstrual or hormone-related migraine may include an aura or it may not. Along with symptoms of migraines that are fairly common such as pain on one side of the head and sensitivity to light, nausea and vomiting, symptoms of hormonal headaches can include:
If you’re asking yourself what causes migraines in females, and you come to the conclusion that your headaches and migraines could be related to hormones, there are a few things you can do.
First, you want to keep track of when you’re experiencing migraines. This will help you better identify exactly what’s triggering them.
This will help you with timing and other factors and you can take your notes on your migraines to your doctor who will better be able to help you come up with a treatment plan as well as steps for prevention.
In general, if you are potentially experiencing hormonal headaches and using preventative medication isn’t effective, your doctor may give you hormone therapy. This could include estrogen given daily in pill or patch form. Birth control pills are sometimes used to keep hormone levels more steady and reduce headaches and migraines related to hormone fluctuations.
If you’re already taking a hormonal birth control medication and you’re experiencing your headaches, your doctor may change the type of medicine you use.
Another option if you experience hormonal headaches and you’re taking birth control is to start your next pack early and to skip the placebo week of pills.
If you’re taking a hormonal contraceptive and you’re experiencing migraines, your doctor might suggest you take a pill that delivers a lower dose of estrogen, wear an estrogen patch on your placebo days or begin taking birth control that’s progestin-only.
If you’ve asked yourself what causes migraines in females, and you’ve noticed your migraines are likely hormonal, there are different treatment options in addition to change your hormonal contraception.
At-home treatments for hormonal headaches can include staying hydrated and performing deep breathing or relaxation exercises. Some people find biofeedback helps them to reduce how often they have migraines or the pain.
Magnesium supplements are helpful and acupuncture and massage are non-medication treatments that you might consider, particularly if your migraines are related to pregnancy.
Preventative medications for hormonal migraines in women include:
For hormonal headaches, preventative medications could either be taken daily, or they could be taken during the times when you’re most likely to experience a migraine.
One of the primary reasons females are more likely to experience migraines than males is because of hormonal fluctuations and differences. If you’re experiencing hormonal migraines, speak to your doctor or health care provider about the options that might help you find relief.