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Headache Patterns for Men and Women
Headache pain affects both men and women, but in different proportions.
Tension-type headaches are the most common form of primary headache pain. These headaches occur in a female-to-male ratio of 1.4 to 1, which means that the frequency of tension-type headaches is 40% greater for women compared with men.
Migraines are more common in women than men by a ratio of approximately 3 to 1.
- In a survey of 15,000 U.S. households, 17.6% of women and 5.7% of men reported migraines.
- Population-based studies revealed that 15% to 17% of women, in contrast with 5% of men, suffered from migraines.
The occurrence of some migraine headaches in women coincides with their menstrual cycle.
- These headaches, known as menstrual migraines, may be related to cyclic declines in estrogen during menstruation.
- During the last two trimesters of pregnancy, 55% to 90% of female migraine sufferers find that they have headaches less frequently.
Cluster headaches are quite rare; these headaches occur predominantly in men. In fact, more than 80% of cluster headache sufferers are male.
