Women have more severe migraine attacks; understand why – 04/30/2024

Migraine is not a disease exclusive to women, but they are the ones who suffer most. The explanation defended by experts is that this happens due to hormonal issues: they have estrogen in large quantities, which facilitates the pain caused by the headache symptom.

On National Women’s Day, as neurologist Thaís Villa explains, the disease can also be characterized by the hyperexcitability of the brain that suffers with each migraine attack. The cause is hereditary, that is, the person is born with a tendency to have migraines. And if there is an age group in which women experience more intense and debilitating crises, it is precisely in the period from adolescence to 50 years of age, when they are exposed to higher estrogen levels.

Because this period of more intense migraine episodes coincides with the woman’s fertile age and when many use the contraceptive pill as a contraceptive method, the majority with combined estrogen and progesterone hormones, “a real ‘bomb’ that increases the risk for stroke 15 times”, warns the neurologist based on recent studies and adds: “the condition can worsen if the woman has a migraine with aura (one of the symptoms of the disease, manifested by changes in vision), uses the pill with combined hormones and is still a smoker. For them, the chances of suffering a stroke are 30 times higher”, she warns.

DEMAND FOR A NEW BUSINESS

With the aim of meeting such demand, the doctor opened Headache Center Brasil almost 8 years ago, an integrated treatment clinic in São Paulo aimed at migraine patients. Currently, there are 20 health professionals with 10 specialties committed to the cause.

“Few people know, but in addition to consultation with a specialist neurologist, follow-up with a gynecologist advises women to use the safest contraceptive method so as not to further aggravate migraine symptoms or cause other complications, for example. Quitting the smoking habit is also not an easy task, as is detoxifying the body for long periods using medication on its own and even caffeine, which provide the brain with a feeling of relief, but do not treat the disease”, explains Thaís.