More Women Get Migraines

There has been a significant increase in the number of young women suffering from migraines, reports CBS News Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay on CBS This Morning.

A new study in the journal Neurology shows the number of women in their twenties diagnosed with migraines increased 56 percent during the 1980's. Researchers looked at women and men who went to the doctor for the first time to seek migraine treatment.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic discovered the causes could be stress-related. Changes in lifestyle, the rise in the number of single-parent households, dieting, and an increased number of women in the workforce may have triggered more migraines.

A migraine is a debilitating, severe headache with symptoms that include loss of appetite, sensitivity to light, nausea, vomiting, constipation or diarrhea.

There are now more ways to treat migraines than there were during the 1980's. Better education and understanding of medicines used to treat migraines seems to be encouraging.

Also, patients may be more willing to go to a doctor as they get older.

An effective way to find out what triggers a migraine is to keep a diary and write what time a migraine attack occurs and its duration.