Migraine Prevalence in Women

Migraine Prevalence in Women

Have you ever had such a headache that all you want to do is crawl up in a ball and die? I, for one, and like many other women experience extreme headaches which can lead to bad migraines. After experiencing several episodes of the same reoccurring, never-ending migraine I finally went to the doctor. Upon reading and doing research on migraines I soon learned that more women experienced migraines than men.

Having a headache every day really and truly is not fun. For some odd reason I've always been prone to headaches. I remember when I was younger my granny would always call me a headache since I always had one. I never noticed or became aware that this was an issue until I became older. It wasn't until the past three to four years ago that I started getting treatment. I have always thought that headaches were just a part of life.

The articles I have chosen discuss sex related differences with headaches. Among the other differences that men and women have I think it's really interesting to know how come and why women are more apt to suffer from headaches than men. My fiancé wasn't ever able to understand why I get a headache more than three times a week until recently. I honestly know even think he realizes how severe it can be. There were nights that I wasn't even able to fall asleep because my head throbbed so badly. I have also had to call out of work on a few occasions because I wasn't able to walk, move or go into the light without my head pounding.

According to the article Sex Matters: Evaluating Sex and Gender in Migraine and Headache research, "migraine is a common and often disabling disorder that occurs in three times as many women as men" (Peterlin, Gupta, Ward & MacGregor, 2011). MacGregor, Rosenberg, & Kurth (2011) also note that "most studies support the findings that women experience more frequent, longer-lasting and more painful headaches compared with men" (p. 846). With that being said, the only solution I have when it comes to migraines is to try to learn how to prevent them.

Another article I read stated that the key to headache prevention is determining what triggers it. I think this would be hard to do for anyone, much less myself. My headaches come on out of the blue. It wouldn't matter if I'm more stressed, have a good night's sleep or have exercised to the extreme I still may get a headache. It's uncontrollable. I've tried on several occasions to keep a journal of the days that I get a headache just so I would be able to see what triggers it, yet I still can't seem to figure it out.