Migraines in Relation to Gender

When you have a migraine, it is very easy to feel as though you are alone and that no one understands what you are going through. Surprisingly, over 18% of women and 6% of men know exactly what you are suffering through. It may be a shock to heat that more women suffer from migraines than men, but it is true. So what makes women more susceptible to developing migraines than men? There are actually quite a few biologic factors, that when combined, can leave you with a screaming headache that you feel will never end.

The most common causes of migraines are actually environmental stressors, pain perception and response, genetic, and the body’s reaction to fluctuations in sex hormones and receptor binding. Many past studies have shown that the female body is more receptive to pain, has a higher genetic predisposal to migraines, and has a higher number of hormone fluctuations each month. To make matters worse, the female body has a higher number of pain receptors in the brain, causing them to pick up on the sensation of pain much faster than a male.

The structure of the female brain is quite different than that of the male brain and as a result, the female brain does not protect them from pain in the way that the male brain does. Men have specialized circuits in their spinal cord that release endorphins when they are in pain. This helps reduce the amount of pain they actually feel in association to what the body is actually generating. Females on the other hand have the same circuit, but studies show that it does not release pain reducing endorphins like the male body does.

Recent studies have also proven that women have a more difficult time coping with pain and processing the chemicals in their body necessary for helping relieve pain naturally. With these factors combined, women are more likely to seek medical intervention for debilitating migraines than men are. While many doctors were confused by these findings, the results are backed by well-known psychologists.

It is well noted that psychologists recommend treating men and women differently when it comes to chronic pain and chronic migraines. Beverly Thorn, psychologist from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa states. “A significant portion of the gender imbalance may come from social and psychological factors. Multiple studies have found that women are more likely to get depressed as a result of chronic pain, and they have a higher tendency to catastrophize.” She has also proven that women who take on a more masculine role in society are able to overcome pain in ways that are similar to the ways a man would.

While scientists believe that the female response to pain is due to the biological urge to focus on things that are wrong and to fix them, which causes them to hyper fixate on pain, they can only guess at the true reason. At this point, doctors know that they must treat the pain in males and females differently. Because of this there are more women on chronic pain medications than men. Through a better understanding in the difference in genders, doctors are hoping to even out this number dramatically over the next few years.

Speak Your Mind