New research links migraine and endometriosis
(Reported by Susan Aldridge) PhD, medical journalist Women who have endometriosis have twice the risk of migraine compared to the rest of the female population. Endometriosis is a painful condition, often linked to infertility, where fragments of uterine tissue migrate to other locations in the abdominal cavity. Researchers at the University of Genoa now report that women who have endometriosis are also more likely to have migraine. They compared a group of 133 women who had endometriosis with a control group of 166 women. While 15 per cent of those in the control group reported migraine, around a third of those in the endometriosis group had migraine headache – and 13 per cent of the whole group had experienced aura before an attack. The researchers also found that few of the women had sought treatment for their migraine – a pity, as it’s a distressing condition but effective drugs are available. They say gynecologists should ask all women with endometriosis if they have headaches and refer them for proper diagnosis. Migraine, especially with aura, raises a small increased risk of stroke and this should be taken into account if women with endometriosis are being prescribed hormonal treatments – some are not appropriate where there is a risk, however tiny, of stroke. Why there’s this link between migraine and endometriosis is not clear – the researchers think that there could be some common biochemical factors, but these need further investigation.