There is really no concrete research on transgender men and migraine, specifically.
Ahead, experts explain why people assigned female at birth tend to bear the brunt of migraine.
First, it all comes down to understanding hormonal changes.
Migraine attacks can be triggered by hormonal fluctuations.
The high prevalence of migraine in people assigned female at birth is generally related to hormones.
More specifically its due to thefluctuationsin hormone levels that happen throughout a persons life.
Up until puberty, girls and boys typically have migraine at the same rate, explains Dr. Krel.
In fact, pre-adolescent boys are slightly more likely to experience the condition, she tells SELF.
Theyre produced by your endocrine system to regulate everything from metabolism to growth and development to your stress response.
National Library of Medicine.
When it comes to migraine attacks, every hormone can play a role.
However, when estrogen levels oscillate, which happens throughout a persons life, migraine can get worse.
In fact, among people with menstrual periods who have migraine, at least 60% reportmenstrual-related migraineattacks.
Estrogen also increases during pregnancy, potentially improving the frequency and severity of migraine attacks.
This time is characterized by uneven fluctuations in hormones, includingyou guessed itestrogen.
But once the body stops making estrogen altogether, hormone-related headaches may improve.
Bottom line: Fluctuating hormones, of any kind, can trigger migraine attacks.
Experts dont fully understand why estrogen fluctuations can catalyze the development of migraine though.
Similarly, estrogen increases the release of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that reduces pain.
Instead, its more about the fluctuations.
As Dr. Azhar points out, people assigned male at birth also have estrogen, albeit in smaller amounts.
Dont forget a migraine attack can have other triggers too.
A lot of things can trigger migraine attacks, says Dr. Azhar.
Hormonal variations happen to be one of those triggers and an especially strong one, he says.
A neurologist who specializes in migraine can helptreat your symptomsand improve your quality of life, says Dr. Azhar.
