Every May, National Women’s Health Month encourages us to take a closer look at the issues shaping women’s health. One topic that deserves far more attention is headache and migraine disorders — a neurological condition that disproportionately affects women during their childbearing and working years and remains significantly underrecognized in women’s healthcare. By bringing migraine into the broader women’s health conversation more women can have access to screening and appropriate care.

Headache and Migraine is a Women’s Health Issue

Migraine is three times more common in women than men, affecting one in four women at some point in life1. As a woman’s estrogen levels change throughout different life stages, such as adolescence, pregnancy and menopause, so does her risk for headache and migraine. Although these are natural changes in a woman’s body throughout her life, they can also affect headache and migraine patterns—creating important opportunities to support her overall health and address symptoms early.

The Cost of Missed Diagnoses

Many women suffer from headache and migraine disorders, yet the symptoms are often dismissed, and women go undiagnosed due to stigma and a lack of routine screening. As a result, many women never receive appropriate care. In fact, only 4.5 percent of people with chronic migraine both consult a healthcare provider and receive migraine-specific acute and preventive treatment.

The consequences of missed diagnosis can be far-reaching. Migraine is the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years among women ages 15 to 49, and its effects extend well beyond physical pain3. Migraine symptoms can lead to missed school and work, as well as increased mental health strain—creating ripple effects for families, workplaces, and the broader economy. Altogether, migraine and headache disorders are estimated to cost the U.S. economy $78 billion each year through absenteeism and presenteeism.

Why Screening for Migraine Matters

Access to screening for migraine is key to not only diagnosis but also prevent chronic migraine and disability. The Well-Woman screening visits are often a woman’s primary preventive care entry point, and an opportunity to discuss symptoms of headache and migraine that may not be discussed during other medical visits.

As part of a broader effort to modernize women’s preventive healthcare, the Headache & Migraine Policy Forum is urging policymakers to recognize headache and migraine as a condition that belongs in routine Well-Woman screenings.

Untreated and undiagnosed headache and migraine is disabling – and the consequences are avoidable. Policymakers must act now to incorporate migraine screening into standard preventive care to accurately diagnose women, and to lead to appropriate and timely treatment when necessary, helping women maintain healthy, fulfilling, and productive lives.

References

1 Al-Hassany, L., Haas, J., Piccininni, M., Kurth, T., Maassen Van Den Brink, A., & Rohmann, J. L. (2020). Giving researchers a headache: Sex and gender differences in migraine. Frontiers in Neurology, 11.

2 Dodick, D. W., Loder, E. W., Manack Adams, A., Buse, D. C., Fanning, K. M., Reed, M. L., & Lipton, R. B. (2016). Assessing barriers to chronic migraine consultation, diagnosis, and treatment: Results from the Chronic Migraine Epidemiology and Outcomes (CaMEO) Study. Headache, 56(5), 821–834.

3 Chen, E., Rowe, M., Khan, A., Gardner, T., Bratten, C., Young, A., Paul, E., Nees, D., Ito Ford, A., & Vassar, M. (2025). Bridging the gap between evidence and clinical practice for migraine headaches: A systematic review (2019–2024). The Journal of Headache and Pain, 26(1), 226.

4 Kreier, F. (2025, March 3). New US government policies hit the migraine field. Migraine Science Collaborative.