Migraines more common in men with higher levels of oestrogen, finds study
Female sex hormone known to increase frequency and severity of the headache attacks in women
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Men with elevated levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen, appear to be more susceptible to migraines than those with lower amounts, a study has found.
They were also more likely to have symptoms of fatigue and sexual disorders commonly seen in people with a testosterone deficiency, researchers said. This was despite testosterone levels being the same as men who did not have migraines.
Oestrogen, which is responsible for the development of female sexual characteristics, is known to increase the frequency and severity of the headache attacks in women who suffer from migraines.
The study published in the journal Neurology, has found that this also appears to be a factor in men - a finding which could help to understand and treat some of the underlying causes of these often debilitating neurological attacks.
“Previous research has found that levels of oestrogen can influence when women have migraines and how severe they are, but little is known about whether sex hormones also affect migraine in men,” said the study’s author Dr W P J. van Oosterhout from Leiden University Medical Centre in the Netherlands.
“Our research found increased levels of oestrogen in men with migraine, as well as symptoms of lower levels of testosterone.”
For the trial his team took daily blood samples from 39 men, including 17 who were regular migraine sufferers and were of similar age and health.
Initial blood sampling took place on a non-migraine day and the researchers found that between migraines men who suffered the attacks had an oestrogen level about 50 per cent higher than those who did not – 97 picomoles per litre of blood compared to 69 pmol/L.
This was despite baseline levels of testosterone – the male sex hormone – being similar between both groups, meaning those with a migraine had a lower ratio of testosterone to oestrogen.
To understand if this ratio was important the researchers surveyed the two groups about symptoms usually found in men with low testosterone, including low sex drive and energy and mood disorders.
It found the majority of men who suffer with migraines – 61 per cent – reported these symptoms, compared to 27 per cent of men without.
Though this was only a small sample Dr Van Oosterhout says more teams should now look at how these hormone patterns can affect the onset of migraine.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments