It often begins as a dull pain behind the eyes or a sudden sudden heartbeat of the head. For many women, this is not just another headache, it is the onset of a migraine that can last for hours, even day, often with nausea, blind light sensitivity, and a single-cheat fatigue.

Despite the intensity of these symptoms, their complaints are often closed in clinics. Their pain, even in modern medical settings, is often considered “stress related” or “emotional”.

Still science is clear: women suffer more than headache than men. A study in the lensate has shown that women are likely to suffer from migraine than men after puberty.

And the reason for this is far more complex and deep physical, as we have been led to believing.

Hormones: silent agitators

The neurologist has long noted a difference in the spread of migraine between the sexes.

Neurologist at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai, Dr. Girish Soni says, “Most doctors, if not all, have come to accept that estrogen, and especially its return before menstruation, is an important factor in the causes of migraine,” Lilavati Hospital’s Lilavati Hospital’s Neurologist Dr.. Girish Soni says. “Migraines are unnatural in girls before puberty, but become common after menrche, which strengthens this hormonal hypothesis.”

Dr. Bhaskar Shukla, Advisor Neurologist at PSRI Hospital, agree, which indicates estrogen ups and downs as one of the strongest triggers.

“Women are more prone to migraines due to mass hormonal differences,” they say, changes during menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause directly affect brain chemistry, causing episodes of headaches.

In fact, estrogen and progesterone not only change vascular reactions in the brain, but also change neurochemical reactions, causing women to have more prone to migraine at some points in their hormonal cycles, Dr. Deep Das, CMRI says a neurologist in Kolkata.

‘Monthly’ migraine

The effect of hormones around menstruation is most visible. Menstrual migraines are often more stubborn for treatment than other migraines. Dr. Sony believes that many women at the headache clinic of Lilavati Hospital report their most incompetent migraine before or during their time.

While some women experience relief during pregnancy, especially when the hormonal levels are stable in the second and third trimester, others develop new headache due to rapid changes in early pregnancy or postpartum.

Dr. Das says that menopause adds another layer of unexpectedness: hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may provide relief to some and trigger migraines in others.

But whatever is united in all these hormonal shifts is a great lapse, the treatment of headaches rarely corresponds to women’s reproductive physiology.

‘This is probably just stress’

Despite medical evidence, women reporting headaches are often rejected. The Spanish -led team found that women are often not taken seriously when they report headaches or chronic pain. It is partly due to chronic beliefs that women complain more or are emotional, while men are considered difficult.

Researchers, in their 2024 studies, published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine, stating that many male doctors in the past did not understand or believe the pain of women. As a result, women’s pain is often seen as “stress” or “in their head”, even when it is real and requires proper medical care.

“This is common,” Dr. Sony says. “A woman’s headache is often seen below, which is caused by stress, or responsible for the digestive system or eye.”

This dismissal is not a anecdote, it is systemic. “Women’s pain is performed at least in clinics. There is a penis bias, where older symptoms are more likely to be seen as emotional or psychic,” Dr. Shukla confirmed.

It is complicated by a historical under-technology of women in clinical trials, leading to data and clinical routes that slant the male.

“Harmful conservatism suggests that women are still more emotional. It is a gap in research and perception that contributes to delayed diagnosis and ineffective treatment,” Dr. Das says.

Perit across the board, neurologists agree on one thing: women require more individual, gender-sensitive care.

Dr. Says Sony, “Headache treatment should be Bispok, to be adjusted for sex, hormonal balance, age and lifestyle.” In cases of menstrual migraine, preventive therapy starting a day before menstruation can significantly reduce the severity and duration.

While most standard treatment applies equally to both sexes, efficacy can vary greatly in women due to hormonal effects. Dr. Das notes said, “Treatment plans around the predicted hormonal shifts like menstruation are more kind and effective.”

It is NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, a section of drugs, which may include pain, fever and inflammation) or triptan, adjustment to birth control, or even short-term use of hormonal therapy for some women.

However, these treatments can work brilliantly for some and spoil the symptoms for others. It is here that the diary of a woman’s headache becomes her biggest clinical ally.

Advocate pain

So what can women do when their concerns are dismissed?

Dr. Start with documentation, Sony says. “Maintain a headache diary. Record date, severity, symptoms, drugs are taken, and how long it lasts. It becomes an important clinical tool.” He also recommends a push for an expert referral, if the initial consultation does not answer.

Dr. Says Shukla, “Do not hesitate to ask for a completely testing or other opinion. Constant or unusual headache warrant neurological assessment,” Dr. Shukla says.

In fact, call dismissal reactions. Dr. “Your pain is real and should be taken seriously,” says Das.

Better medicine required – for women

The gender difference in headache care is not just a clinical issue, it is a social. Women are biologically prone to migraine, yet their experiences are regularly managed downplays, wrong diagnosis or poorly managed.

This difference is not only about headache, it is a great reflection of how women’s health is historically marginalized.

“To move forward, we need more inclusive research, more experts trained in women’s neurology, and more women demand care that they deserve,” Dr. Das says.

Meanwhile, it is time to prevent women from telling “this is just stress,” for the world and start listening.