Recent research sheds light on the mechanisms behind migraines, explaining the higher prevalence in women. The study highlights how sex hormones influence cells surrounding the trigeminal nerve and associated blood vessels in the head. Estrogens, which peak in women of reproductive age, appear to play a key role in sensitizing these cells to migraine triggers.
“We observe clear differences in our experimental migraine model between men and women, and we're investigating the molecular factors driving them,” says Professor Antonio Ferrer-Montiel from Universitas Miguel Hernández in Spain. “This complex process involves sex hormones modulating the trigeminovascular system—an area underexplored until now.”
Drawing from decades of studies on sex hormones, migraine susceptibility, and cellular responses, the researchers pinpoint how specific hormones affect vulnerability. Protective ones like testosterone reduce risk, while others like prolactin exacerbate it by altering ion channels that control cellular reactions to triggers.
Further research is needed on several hormones, but estrogen emerges as a primary factor. Its role was first noted in menstruating women, where migraines often align with hormonal fluctuations. Evidence now shows estrogen heightens trigeminal nerve cell sensitivity, lowering the threshold for migraine onset.
