If you have migraine with aura, then the riskis higher, but not alarmingly so because the risk of stroke is very lowin individuals without migraine under age 45. In his paper Migraine and Oral Contraceptives, published in The CanadianJournal of Neurological Sciences, Dr. Becker cautions young women takingbirth control pills who also smoke and suffer from migraine, especiallythose who have migraine with aura, to lead a healthy lifestyle, stop smokingand discuss the risks of oral contraceptives with their doctor. How migraine is related to stroke is not known. Dr. Becker statesthat recent studies indicate that most strokes occurring in migraine sufferersare not directly related to migraine attacks. Most of these strokes seemto occur when the migraine sufferers are headache free.
Strokes seem toresult from other stroke mechanisms, such as clot formation in blood vessels.
The Migraine Association of Canada recommends that the most importantthing for migraine sufferers to do, especially those who have migrainewith aura, is to reduce all other stroke risk factors. They include notsmoking, avoiding obesity, maintaining a regular exercise program, treatingelevated blood pressure, elevated cholesterol and diabetes with the helpof their doctor.