Posts Tagged ‘estrogen’
Saturday, March 5th, 2011
Although a conclusive cause has not been identified, researchers believe that a woman’s hormones may be to blame for frequent migraine attacks — many studies have linked the female sex hormone estrogen to increased incidences of migraines.
 Photo credit: Simona Balint But why? Researchers believe that the fluctuation in estrogen levels can affect how neurotransmitters work in the brain, which in turn can affect how blood flows. Serotonin, a type of neurotransmitter, has been shown to affect the size of blood vessels during changes in estrogen levels.
Researchers theorize that the changes in vessel width and blood flow may trigger a migraine-like reaction in the brain by promoting the release of prostaglandins. Prostaglandins, when released, can cause your head to throb, a reaction you may familiar with if you are pregnant. The process continues as the levels of estrogen change. This can increase the frequency of migraines.
Major changes in estrogen only occur during puberty and pregnancy — many women first report experiencing migraines during the first months of their pregnancy. Although estrogen levels can change during a woman’s monthly cycle, the changes are not as drastic.
Estrogen isn’t the only factor here, however — a lack of sleep, irregular eating schedules and yes, added stress, can also add to a woman’s risk for pregnancy migraines. All of these factors can affect how the brain operates, which may trigger an unwanted attack. Getting enough sleep and eating regularly can help, but if you suffer from morning sickness, this may be impossible to do. Taking anti-nausea medications may help lessen its effects.
Some migraines still need to be treated, however — avoiding triggers may not always help. Most of the pain-relieving medications approved to treat migraines cannot be used by pregnant women due to the risk for birth defects. Some drugs can even increase a woman’s risk for a miscarriage.
So what drugs can pregnant women use? According to WebMD.com, acetaminophen — not acetaminophen combination drugs — are considered low-risk, and should be safe for both mother and baby. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs can also be used to treat migraine pain, but they can cause miscarriage if used near a woman’s conception date. Taking these drugs in the third trimester of pregnancy can also cause complications for the baby, and should be avoided.
Tags: estrogen, migraine treatments, migraines and estrogen, pregnancy, pregnancy migraine causes, pregnancy migraines, prostaglandins
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Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011
Three facts are certain in life: death, taxes, and if you are a woman, a higher chance for having migraines.
According to a report by Discovery Health, women are three times more likely than men to get migraines because of estrogen — a female sex hormone essential for human reproduction and sexual development. Most of the time, estrogen levels cannot be controlled, but how many migraines you get are also largely dependent on certain migraine triggers. These are the lifestyle habits that can force the brain to develop excruciating, nauseating pain. These triggers can be controlled.
Today we’re going to identify the four most common lifestyle habits that trigger migraines in women — and how you can develop a plan to stop these triggers.
Lifestyle Habits That Trigger Migraines in Women
So exactly what are these lifestyle triggers and how can you control it? Here’s what to watch out for:
 Photo credit: JD Blasko Lifestyle trigger #1: Emotional eating. If you are a woman, you’re more likely to eat because you feel sad, depressed, bored or angry, and that can lead you to make bad food choices. Some foods can trigger migraines in women. The most common food triggers include chocolate, dairy products and processed foods, but some people are even triggered by fruits, vegetables or even peanut butter. To find out which foods trigger your migraines, health experts recommend keeping a journal of your daily dietary habits and the dates when your migraines occur, then comparing the two.
Lifestyle trigger #2: Social drinking habits. Although ending a night with an alcoholic beverage may seem relaxing, alcohol could be a potential trigger, especially for women. Worse yet, it seems to affect women who only drink occasionally. Our strategy: If you experience migraine headaches shortly after drinking an alcoholic beverage, it’s a strong sign that it may be triggering your headaches. Switch to a non-alcoholic beverage instead to keep your migraine attacks in check.
 Photo credit: Tijmen Van Dobbenburgh Lifestyle trigger #3: Taking birth control. Birth control is an effective and safe way to prevent pregnancy, but it could actually trigger an attack in some women. Scientists aren’t sure why this occurs. If you begin noticing an increase in migraine attacks after using birth control, ask your doctor to switch medications — or better yet, use a different contraceptive method.
Lifestyle trigger #4: Skipping meals to get slim. Some women opt to skip breakfast to keep their figures trim, but this can actually trigger an attack. Going without food for an extended period of time can cause low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia, which can cause the brain to have a migraine. If you want to lose weight, skipping meals isn’t the healthiest or smartest choice — regular, calorie-controlled meals are.
The next time you experience a migraine attack, use these lifestyle tips to prevent the attacks from reoccurring. Although it won’t stop all of your migraines, it should cut down on its frequency.
Tags: alcohol, diet, diet and migraines, eating, estrogen, migraine triggers, women and migraines
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Monday, February 28th, 2011
According to The Mayo Clinic, nearly 17 percent of women suffer from migraines — and that’s three times more than men usually experience. So why are women more likely to get migraines? Their lowered pain threshold and hormone levels may be to blame.
Why Women Get More Migraines: The Pain Factor
Women get more migraines than men because of two factors: lower pain tolerances and estrogen levels. According to a report by ABC News, women are more likely to feel more pain than men, which can make it more difficult for them to deal with the pains of a sudden attack. They also have other intolerances that can increase their risk, such as a lower tolerance for alcohol or caffeine — two common migraine triggers.
How a woman’s body deals with pain during direct changes in their reproductive system, such as pregnancy or menstruation, may also increase her risk. According to another study, pregnancy causes the body to produce higher levels of estrogen, a female hormone which also affects the neurotransmitters in the brain. Changes in certain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, have been shown to increase the risk for migraines.
Women and Migraines: So What Can You Do?
Now that we know why women get more migraines than men, what can women do to stop these attacks? The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) makes these recommendations:
1. Avoid triggers. Both women and men can be triggered by food or beverages, such as chocolate, dairy products or alcohol. If you consistently experience migraines after eating a certain type of food, it could be a trigger.
2. Go for non-prescription drugs first. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are surprisingly effective for reducing migraine pain, as well as prescription painkillers.
3. Focus on natural methods to reduce the pain. Taking too many drugs in excess to reduce headache pain could be potentially dangerous for women, as it could increase the risk for stomach bleeding. The AAFP recommends lying down in a quiet, dark room and using cold compresses to deal with the pain instead.
Although women are genetically more likely to suffer from migraines, certain lifestyle measures can help reduce the likelihood for sudden attacks — and that can help them live more fulfilling lives.
Tags: estrogen, medications, migraine medications, migraine risks, migraine treatments, treatments, Women, women and migraines
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Monday, February 28th, 2011
Estrogen is an important hormone during puberty — it helps girls develop breasts, grow curves and begin to menstruate. Unfortunately, studies also show that estrogen can also trigger a migraine, the name for a type of headache that causes localized head pain, dizziness, nausea and loss of equilibrium.
Today we’re going to discuss why so many puberty causes migraines — and what you can do to alleviate these painful headaches.
Why Puberty Triggers Migraines
 Although all women produce estrogen, the body does not truly begin to produce this hormone until puberty, which allows the body to mature. After puberty, the body produces estrogen — and other female sex hormones — regularly throughout a woman’s natural menstrual cycle, with estrogen levels rising each day until the body ovulates.
The rise in estrogen levels also affects the neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine and serotonin.
Health experts believe that serotonin specifically reduces blood flow to the brain, an effect that has been theorized as the main cause of migraines. When the brain does not receive enough blood, it forces the arteries to compensate by dilating, which causes the release of pain-causing substances called prostaglandins. This creates the familiar throbbing sensation of migraines.
This effect may explain why women are more prone to having migraines than men — and why more women experience migraines during and after puberty.
Puberty and Migraines: How to Treat it
Now that we know why puberty triggers migraines, what can women do about this debilitating condition?
1. Know that migraines can be treated, regardless of your age. There are several medications or supplements available to reduce migraine pain, even if you are a teenager. NSAIDs are great for reducing mild to moderate migraine pain during puberty, as are some narcotic pain medications.
 Photo credit: Jenny Erickson 2. Avoid common migraine triggers. This includes fatigue, alcohol and some types of food, such as chocolate or dairy products. Although it will not prevent all attacks, it can help reduce its frequency.
3. Have a treatment plan available. If you’re going through puberty, you can’t always carry pain-reducing medications with you during school, but you can use other methods to reduce localized pain. Massaging your temples, covering your head with a cold compress, and resting in a dark, quiet room are excellent ways to reduce the throbbing and nauseating pain of migraines.
Although puberty can increase your risk for painful migraines, that doesn’t mean its untreatable — and these tips will help improve your quality of life.
Tags: estrogen, medications, migraine medications, migraine treatments, Migraines, puberty, treatments, women and migraines
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Tuesday, June 1st, 2010
There is clinical evidence that demonstrates that birth control pills may not be safe for women with migraines. Most contraceptive methods contain estrogen, a hormone. The estrogen has been shown to increase the odds of blood clot formation. These blood clots occur more frequently in the legs, but sometimes the clots may form in the heart, causing heart attacks or strokes.
By definition, a stroke is damage to the brain, which causes braincells to die. This, in turn, may lead to paralysis or death. Only 4 to 5 women out of 100,000 women ages 20 to 44 have strokes each year. Unfortunately, women who suffer from migraine headaches are more likely to suffer a stroke. These women with migraines are four times as likely to suffer a stroke as their peers who don’t have migraines.
Worse, women who suffer from migraines who also use estrogen-containing contraceptive methods are seven times as likely as their peers to suffer a stroke. For women who have migraines and use birth control pills, the patch or the ring, the rate is 28 to 35 out of every 100,000 women each year.
Women who smoke and suffer from migraines who also use estrogen for birth control are at an even greater risk. These women are 34 times as likely to suffer a stroke. In other words, in women who have migraines, smoke and also use estrogen-containing birth control, there are about 170 strokes per 100,000 women each year.
Therefore, women who suffer from migraines are strongly encouraged to use alternate methods of birth control that don’t contain estrogen.
Tags: birth control pills, blood clot formation, clot, contraceptive methods, estrogen, evidence, heart, methods of birth control, migraine headaches, migraines and birth control, migraines and blood clots, migraines and contraception, migraines and estrogen, migraines and strokes, migraines and the patch, Safe
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