The good part of a migraine is that it indicates that you have a lower risk of developing breast cancer.
According to a new research, women with a history of migraines appear to be around 30% less likely to develop breast cancer. The findings were reported in the November issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.
"We found that, overall, women who had a history of migraines had a 30 percent lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who did not have a history of such headaches," said study co-author Christopher Li, a breast-cancer epidemiologist and associate member of the Hutchinson Center’s Public Health Sciences Division.
Li and colleagues analyzed data from two studies of 3,412 post-menopausal women in the Seattle area, 1,938 of whom had been diagnosed with breast cancer and 1,474 of whom had no history of breast cancer. The participants were given questionnaires about their history of migraines.
Women with a history of severe headache have a 30% lower risk of breast cancer compared to women who do not suffer such attacks, the research has shown. The reduction in risk was significantly greater for the types of breast cancer that are driven by hormones, such as estrogen-receptor positive breast cancer and progesterone-receptor positive breast cancer.
Estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer accounts for the majority of breast cancers diagnosed each year. About 75% of breast cancers are estrogen-receptor positive. Cells with estrogen receptors grow and multiply when estrogen attaches to their receptors. These types of cancer respond well to hormonal therapy.
The study’s authors suggest that migraine treatments may be responsible for this reduction rather than migraine itself.
The association between migraines and breast cancer may also have something to do with fluctuations in levels of circulating hormones. Hormones also play a role in migraines, as migraines occur more frequently in women than in men. They are often triggered by low levels of the hormone estrogen, an element that is known to stimulate hormonally sensitive breast cancer. Migraine sufferers may have lower levels of estrogen, the researchers say, suggesting that this might be a powerful weapon in the fight against breast cancer.
Research has shown that in late pregnancy, when estrogen levels are high, 80% of women with a history of severe headache do not have such episodes.
On the other hand, women who take oral contraceptives tend to have more migraines during the hormone-free week. Also, migraines are more common during menstruation, when there is a drop in estrogen.
Researchers say this is the first study to examine the possible relationship between migraines and breast cancer and its findings may point to new prevention methods of reducing a woman’s cancer risk.
Migraines may be doing more than causing people annoying pain. So, next time when you think you’re having a bad day because of a migraine, don’t let this episode ruin your mood! In other words, a migraine a day keeps breast cancer away.
