By Caitlyn Gribbin, ABC
Kate May is taking back control of her life after years of living with migraines. Photo: ABC News / Kyle Harley
Getting daily migraines makes normal things like playing sport, socialising and working full time difficult for Kate May.
But May, 30, prefers to focus on what she can do, like walking her dog, as she takes back control of her life.
"I [am] embracing and accepting that as a normal part of my life, but not making it central to who I am," May said.
She said this approach made living with migraine - the leading cause of disability worldwide for women aged 18-49 - more achievable.
And a new survey has revealed the prevalence of the neurological disease is far worse in Australian women than experts previously estimated.
Problem 'worse than expected'
The survey, conducted by health organisation Jean Hailes for Women's Health, which partnered with Migraine and Headache Australia, is believed to be the first comprehensive Australian analysis of migraine rates in women.
It found one in three Australian women who had been diagnosed with migraine experienced at least one in the past three months.
A further 13 percent reported recently experiencing undiagnosed migraine.
Their symptoms included throbbing, pulsating pain, light and sound sensitivity, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and brain fog.
"I did not realise that we would have up to one in three women experiencing migraine in Australia," Jean Hailes chief executive Sarah White said.
"And there's a further one in 10 who have ... had an undiagnosed migraine attack in the past three months."
There isn't a cure for migraine, but it can be managed with lifestyle changes, treatments and support.
When managing your triggers:
- Focus on triggers you can control (e.g. your diet and environment).
- Look after yourself with regular physical activity, stress management, good sleep and regular meals.
- Be aware of how changing hormones may impact you (e.g. before your period).
- Avoid a build-up of triggers (e.g. in the time before your period).
- Try to eat well, drink plenty of water and get enough sleep.
- If you have three or more migraine-affected days per month, or pain-relief medicines aren't working, talk to your doctor.
Experts previously estimated around 20 percent of Australian women were affected by the condition.
"This data does suggest that the problem with migraine is worse than we had expected," Dr White said.
More than 3600 women participated in the online survey earlier this year.
Alfred Hospital neurologist Emma Foster, who was not involved in the study, said its findings were "eye opening".
"I think this really draws attention to how incredibly common it is," Dr Foster said.
Migraine is not just a bad headache
According to Migraine and Headache Australia, 4.9 million Australians experience migraine, with three-quarters of sufferers women.
Dr Foster said the condition was "a leading cause of disability".
"Migraine is far more than a bad headache, it's a neurological disease and we are considering it at the moment ... as a disorder of sensory processing.
"The attacks last between four to 72 hours. It's a very distinct type of headache that's accompanied by additional symptoms that can be … even more debilitating than the severe pain."
Dr White said migraine had significant consequences for Australian women.
"We have eight in 10 women in the survey talking about how their work's been affected. Eight in 10 women talking about how physical health has been affected.
"Fifty percent of the women talking about how migraine affected their confidence and self esteem. These are pretty big issues."
Why is migraine more common in women?
Dr Foster said this was largely thought to be related to sex hormones, as well as genetic, environmental and social factors.
"Very often, women will begin to report migraine around puberty with the onset of the periods and ... often times the migraine gets worse a day or two just prior to the period starting or within a day or two after.
"That corresponds with the rapid drop in oestrogen and progesterone levels ... and just prior to the menopause, where the ovaries start winding down a little bit and the hormone levels begin to drop. That's often another time in a woman's life when she definitely notices changes in the migraine."
Dr Foster said genetics could also play a role.
"Musculoskeletal tension or injuries can sometimes set off migraine for people who are susceptible," she said.
Fluorescent lights can also trigger the condition, as can noisy environments and strong smells.
'They think we're being a bit dramatic'
May, who lives with chronic illnesses and pain, including chronic migraine, said there was still a lot of misunderstanding about the condition.
"I don't think people think that young women can get quite unwell. They just think maybe we're complaining or being a bit dramatic or something," she said.
"I want to say that young women can get quite unwell and the data shows that this is something that is happening significantly to working age women."
She said medication, Botox injections and nerve blocks have helped.
Dr White said a 2018 Deloitte report estimated migraine cost the Australian economy $35.7 billion ($NZ39.1b) annually.
"(We need to) have a conversation that gets to whether we're funding research at the sufficient level, whether we've got workplace provisions that might help women with migraine," she said.
She hoped the new data would open up more conversations about migraine.
"We've had a lot of discussion in Australia, which has been incredibly welcome, about having things like menstrual leave or menopause leave or flexible working provisions for women's, menstrual and menopause issues in the workplace.
"What this report is doing is saying, well, hang on a minute. Women's health is not just about menstrual and menopause issues. In fact, we have another condition here that really does affect women."
-ABC
