Dr. Santoro’s research suggests a drop in estrogen is why
Experts believe that changes in female hormones in the days leading up to menstrual periods play a role in why women get migraines more regularly than men.
A study published in the journal Neurology tracked 114 women who get migraines and 223 who do not. The results showed that women who get migraines often have faster drops in their estrogen levels the days before their period.
The author of the study, Dr. Nanette Santoro of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, explains that men do not experience the same level of hormone shift with testosterone, and therefore migraines in males are not triggered in the same way.