There is no medical test to diagnose a migraine. 26 million Americans suffer from migraines. Some get two or three a year, others two or three a week. Men and children get migraines, but the condition is more common in adult women. The link between migraine and hormones remains unclear.
Some women have headaches during their menstrual cycle and they disappear during pregnancy.
Others don't have their first migraine until they are pregnant. Birth control pills cause more frequent and severe attacks in some women. However, a small percentage of women have fewer and less severe attacks when they take birth control pills. Other migraine triggers can range from weather to wine. Chocolate, dairy products, and foods with additives like nitrites, MSG, or aspartame have also been linked to migraine.