What causes Migraine in females?
Well my dear ladies, welcome back our page, and today we are going to talk about what causes migraine in females? But before we do that lets have a quick look at what is migraine, its symptoms and causes for those who are unaware of what migraine is.
What is Migraine?
A migraine is a type of headache that can cause severe pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on one side of the head. Migraine is usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and severe sensitivity to light and sound. Migraine headaches can take hours to days, and the pain can be so severe that it interferes with your daily activities.
For some people, a warning sign known as an aura occurs before or with a headache. An aura can include visual disturbances, such as flashbacks or blind spots, or other disturbances, such as sloping on one side of the face or arm or leg and difficulty speaking.
Although, medications can help prevent some migraines and make them less painful but appropriate medications, combined with self-medication and lifestyle changes, can help.
What are the symptoms of Migraine?
Migraines, affecting children and adolescents as well as adults, can progress to four stages: prodrome, aura, attack and post-drome. Not everyone with migraines goes through all the stages.
Prodrome
A day or two before migraines, you may notice subtle changes that warn of an impending migraine, including:
Constipation
Emotions change, from depression to happiness
Food cravings
Neck stiffness
Increased urination
Liquid retention
Yawning constantly
Aura
For some people, the aura may occur before or during migraines. Auras is a reversible sign of a nervous system. They are usually visible but may include other distractions. Each symptom usually begins gradually, builds up in a few minutes and can last for 60 minutes.
Examples of migraine auras include:
Visual events, such as seeing different scenarios, bright spots or light rays
Loss of vision
Pins and needles on arms or leg
Feeling of weakness or numbness in the face or on one side of the body
Difficulty speaking
Attack
Migraine attack usually lasts 4 to 72 hours if left untreated. But how often migraines occur varies from person to person. Migraine may occur spontaneously or strike several times a month.
During a migraine, you may be:
The pain is usually on one side of your head, but usually on both sides
A sharp pain or tingling
Sensitivity to light, sound, and sometimes smell and touch
Nausea and vomiting
Post-drome
After a migraine attack, you may feel tired, confused, and irritable for a day.
Some people report feeling happy.
Sudden headaches may cause pain again for a while.
What are the causes of Migraine?
Although the causes of migraine are not fully understood, genetics and environmental factors appear to play a role.
Changes in the brainstem and its interaction with the trigeminal nerve, a major pathway to pain, may be involved. So there may be an imbalance in brain chemicals - including serotonin, which helps control pain in your nervous system.
Researchers are studying the role of serotonin in migraines. Other neurotransmitters play a role in migraine pain, including genetically related calcitonin peptide (CGRP).
What causes migraine in women?
About three in four people with migraines are women. Migraines are usually more common in women between the ages of 20 and 45. In this age of women often have more work, family, and community responsibilities. Women often report severe and long-lasting headaches and additional symptoms, such as nausea and vomiting. All of these factors make it difficult for a woman to fulfill her role at work and at home when a migraine strikes.
Hormonal changes in women - Estrogen fluctuations, such as before or during menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, appear to cause headaches for many women.
Hormonal medications - such as birth control pills, can also increase migraines. Some women, however, find that their migraines occur less frequently when taking these medications.
Women are three times more likely to have migraines than men.
More than half of migraines in women occur before, during, or after menstruation. This is often referred to as "menstrual migraine." However, only a small percentage of women with migraine during menstruation experience only migraine at this time. Most also experience headaches at other times of the month.
Nevertheless, how the menstrual cycle and migraine are linked is still unclear. We know that just before the cycle begins, female hormone levels, estrogen and progesterone, drop dramatically. This decrease in hormones can cause headaches, as estrogen regulates brain chemicals that affect a woman's pain.
For some women, birth control pills improve migraine. Pills can help reduce the number of seizures and their seizures may be reduced. But for some women, the pills may increase their migraines. For some women, too, taking birth control pills has no effect on their aching head.
The reason for these different responses is not well understood. For women with migraines it becomes worse when they take birth control pills, their seizures appear to occur during the last week of the cycle. This is because the last seven pills in most monthly packs do not contain hormones; they are there to keep you in your daily contraceptive practice. Without hormones, the levels of estrogen in your body drop dramatically. This may cause migraine in some women.
While the above mentioned are some of the causes of migraine in women, let’s also have a quick look at some common causes of migraine irrespective of the gender.
Lack of sleep or excessive sleep
Food skipped
Bright lights, loud noises, or a strong odor
Depression and anxiety, or rest after depression
The climate is changing
Alcohol (usually red wine)
Caffeine (too much or too much withdrawal)
Nitrate-rich foods, such as hot dogs and lunch meat
Foods that contain MSG (monosodium glutamate), a flavor enhancer found in fast food, broth, spices and seasonings.
Foods that contain tyramine, such as aged cheese, soy products, fava beans, hard sausages, smoked fish, and Chianti wine
Aspartame
And lastly to help you out, we shall provide some tips that can be practiced while you suffer from migraine.
Work with your doctor to come up with a plan to control your migraines. Keeping a list of home remedies that have worked for you in the past can also help. When symptoms begin:
If you are taking migraine medication, take it immediately.
You can drink fluids, if you do not have nausea during your migraine.
Sleep and rest in a dark, peaceful room, if that works.
Some people find the following helpful:
Put a cloth on your head.
Rubbing or applying pressure to the area where you are feeling pain.
Massage or other relaxation exercises.
So, my dear ladies, the above mentioned are some of the causes migraine in women as well as some of the common causes why people from suffer migraine. Although, no matter what is the cause the moment you get a headache, and the pain doesn’t go away or stays longer than usual then, please make sure to visit a doctor, as neglecting it for long may cause serious damage to your body and you might experience some serious consequences. Thus, dear ladies please take good care of yourselves and make sure to steer away from reasons that may cause you a migraine.