Migraine headaches are painful and debilitating but they may have a silver lining for women. A recent study reports that women who have a history of migraines have a 30% lower risk of developing breast cancer. The study, conducted at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, was the first to examine a link between the two disorders and appears in the November Issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Migraine history appeared to reduce the risk of the most common types of breast cancer: those that have receptors for the female sex hormones estrogen and/or progesterone on the surface of their cells. The presence of such receptors renders these types of tumors susceptible to hormone-blocking drug treatments.

Researchers are not sure why migraines reduce breast cancer risk but the answer may have to do with the levels of female sex hormones in the blood. Migraines are more common in women than men and they tend to occur more frequently when levels of female sex hormones are low, such as during menstruation.

Conversely, many women who have migraines experience fewer episodes during pregnancy, a time when the levels of these hormones are high. Sex hormones are known to stimulate the growth of some types of breast cancer, so perhaps lower overall levels of this hormone lead to both an increase in migraines and a decrease in the growth of breast tumors.

If you are a women with migraines, this does not mean you are protected from getting breast cancer, only that your risk may be somewhat reduced. You should continue to have regularly scheduled mammograms as recommended by your health care provider. If you take medication for your migraines, you should continue to do so, as the study does not address whether migraine treatments have any effect on breast cancer risk.

For more about migraines, join the Healia Health Communities for Migraines. Find out more about breast cancer in the Healia’s breast cancer health guide.

_{Photo: Patrick Denker, Flickr, Creative Commons}