Women and Migraines
They can strike at any moment. They come on fast and seem to last forever. Anyone that has ever had a migraine knows how bad the pain can be for those who get them.
A migraine is much more than just your regular headache. It is a type of headache that is usually associated with sensitivity to light and noise, nausea, and vomiting.
There are a lot of things that can trigger migraines and sometimes not a lot that can be done to treat them. Though men can get them, we typically see them happen in women. This article will take a look at the link between women and migraines. By understanding a little bit about them you may be able to protect yourself. When looking at the statistics, more than 30 million people in the United States report suffering from migraine headaches.
The most popular age range for people to report the headaches is between 25 and 45. This is often when people are heavily focusing on their jobs and families and may not necessarily have the time to take care of their health as they should. Adding insult to injury, ¾ of the cases that are reported are by females. Many researchers believe that hormones might actually play a role in how women are affected by migraines. As if women did not have enough to worry about during their menstrual cycles, they can also blame their migraines on the changes throughout their cycle.
Research has proven that progesterone and estrogen levels affect why women will get migraines more than men. As a young woman, we start to see the increase in these headaches at the start of puberty. Then as we get into our cycle we see higher occurrences of headache in the middle of the cycle and during the period. Pregnant women also report having a higher occurrence than non pregnant women. Since there is often times not much that can be done once an attack has taken over, it is important for everyone, women especially, to learn to stop the triggers of migraines before they happen.
One of the most obvious ways that you can do this is by eating right and taking care of your body; this means that you need to exercise, get enough sleep, and try to not skip meals. If none of these help prevent migraine headaches then you might want to get with your doctor to discuss your options.
Before you meet with your doctor it may be wise of you to check with employer and see what your group health insurance plan covers. Many times there will be a difference in seeing your regular doctor or another doctor that may specialize in headaches. If you still are not sure, sit down and talk with your HR department and ask them to help you understand what your health insurance options are.
Once you understand your health benefits you will be one step closer to finding the right doctor for your specific needs. Once you meet with the doctor explain all symptoms and make sure that you understand all of the treatment options that they have available for you.