Migraine is seen more in women; new research shows why

New findings may explain why a migraine headache is more common in women

The mystery around why migraine seems to be more common in women finally stands solved.
Low doses of a peptide has been known for decades to be a trigger for migraine pain. According to a new research published in JNeurosci, it triggers pain response in women but not in men. This finding may help explain why migraine is more common in women than men.

Preventive and pain-relieving medication can help manage migraine headaches

According to Mayo clinic, “a migraine can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on just one side of the head. It’s often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine attacks can cause significant pain for hours to days and can be so severe that the pain is disabling. Warning symptoms known as aura may occur before or with the headache. These can include flashes of light, blind spots, or tingling on one side of the face or in your arm or leg.”

Migraines often begin in childhood, adolescence or early adulthood and is more common in women than men.

Previous studies have highlighted the role of a protein called calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) to the development of migraine headaches.

Researchers tried to analyze the reasons  for sex differences in the neurobiology of this female-biased disorder.Researchers, Gregory Dussor and colleagues at the University of Texas at Dallas and the UT Health Science Center studied rat and mouse migraine models that include animals of both sexes. It was found that injecting low doses of CGRP into the dura mater – the protective outer layer between the skull and the brain – produced headache symptoms only in females. They observed a similar effect when CGRP was injected into the female animals’ paw.

Preventive and pain-relieving medication can help manage migraine headaches.