Migraines hit women harder

Anyone who has ever experienced one knows that it feels similar to a hammer knocking your skull back and forth. But fortunately for women over the age of 60, migraines tend to decrease during menopause.

Reports suggest incidences of migraines drop to 5% in women after the age of 60. But the news is not so great for women in their mid-thirties, as it is said migraines often become worse at this stage.

Women are said to suffer from migraines three times as often as men, making it one of the leading serious health problems affecting women, according to the Migraine Research Foundation in America.

What is a migraine?

A migraine is not just a bad headache. It is an extremely debilitating collection of neurological symptoms that usually includes a severe recurring intense throbbing pain on one or both sides of the head that lasts from four hours to three days.

A migraine can often be accompanied by one or more of the following: visual disturbances, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, extreme sensitivity to sound, light, touch and smell, and tingling or numbness in the extremities or face.

These symptoms, which can last 20 to 60 minutes, are referred to as the aura phase of the headache. Of course, everyone is different, and symptoms vary by person and sometimes by attack.

Challenges with treatment

The challenge for neurologists is that migraines are difficult to treat because the symptoms are hard to evaluate and can change from one attack to the next.

Since symptoms vary widely, migraines are often misdiagnosed and many sufferers are never diagnosed.

While many women suffer from this incapacitating condition, the causes remain unknown and there is no cure.

Interesting facts:

• More than 36 million Americans are afflicted with migraines. About 27 million of these sufferers are women.
• In women who suffer from migraines, 25% have four or more severe attacks per month, which can cause a serious interruption in their personal and professional lives.
• There is much evidence connecting hormones to migraine, but not all migraines are hormonal.
• Surprisingly, during childhood, migraines are more prevalent in boys than in girls, but once puberty kicks in and estrogen acts up, girls are more susceptible.
• In fact, girls are more likely to have their first migraine during the year of their first period than at any other time in their lives.
• After puberty, migraine in women increases until about age 45, when it begins to taper off.
• Many women find their migraine symptoms are affected for better or worse by menstruation, hormonal contraception, pregnancy, and menopause.

Do you, or someone you know, suffer from migraines? Share your experiences in the comment box below by letting us know your tips to managing migraines.