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Neurosurgeon Reveals Why Migraines Hit Women Harder
29 Nov
Summary
- Hormonal changes alter the brain's pain processing pathways.
- Estrogen fluctuations significantly impact brain pain signals.
- Women's trigeminal pathways are more sensitive to migraine pain.
Neurosurgeon Dr. Jay Jagannathan explains that hormonal shifts significantly impact how the brain processes pain, leading to more severe migraines in women. Fluctuations in estrogen, a hormone that protects brain cells, directly affect the brain's pain pathways, blood vessels, and neurotransmitters during various life stages like the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause.
This hormonal influence is a primary reason why women often experience intensified migraine symptoms. Furthermore, women tend to have more sensitive trigeminal pathways, the system directly linked to migraine pain, contributing to their greater susceptibility and severity of headaches compared to men.
Dr. Jagannathan suggests several management strategies for women, including maintaining hydration to reduce vascular irritation, actively managing stress through daily habits to lower migraine frequency, and crucially, understanding their individual hormonal cycles. This understanding can be key to predicting and preventing migraine attacks.
