Women suffer from migraines three times as often as men, with episodes that are more prolonged and intense. “It’s far more common than most people realize,” says Anne MacGregor, a specialist in headache and women’s health. Despite various treatment options, migraines remain the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)—a measure of disease burden that accounts for time lost to ill health—for women between the ages of 15 and 49.
New research into the role of hormones is helping explain why.
During early childhood, boys are slightly more prone to migraines than girls, but puberty tips the balance dramatically. At this time, sex hormones begin to fluctuate and trigger physical changes including the onset of menstruation. This is often when girls experience their first migraine. From puberty onwards, girls experience migraines at a higher rate than boys, with this disparity growing more pronounced as people reach their mid-thirties and persisting into late life.
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By Lori Youmshajekian
Women suffer from migraines three times as often as men, with episodes that are more prolonged and intense. “It’s far more common than most people realize,” says Anne MacGregor, a specialist in headache and women’s health. Despite various treatment options, migraines remain the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs)—a measure of disease burden that accounts for time lost to ill health—for women between the ages of 15 and 49.
New research into the role of hormones is helping explain why.
During early childhood, boys are slightly more prone to migraines than girls, but puberty tips the balance dramatically. At this time, sex hormones begin to fluctuate and trigger physical changes including the onset of menstruation. This is often when girls experience their first migraine. From puberty onwards, girls experience migraines at a higher rate than boys, with this disparity growing more pronounced as people reach their mid-thirties and persisting into late life.
Read the full story now: [https://www.wired.com/story/the-science-of-why-migraines-affect-women-more-than-men/](https://www.wired.com/story/the-science-of-why-migraines-affect-women-more-than-men/)
>During early childhood, boys are slightly more prone to migraines than girls, but puberty tips the balance dramatically.
Imagine being a 4 year old with a migraine, that’d suck so much.