Women's Health

Some Migraines Linked to Heart Attack, Blood Clots

Migraines Raised Blood Clot Risk continued...

More blood clots and related complications were seen with both newer and older hormonal contraceptives in women with migraine with aura, compared to women with migraine without aura.

And rates of these complications were higher in migraine patients who used combined hormonal contraceptives than in women without migraines who used them.

But Joshi says more research is needed to understand the impact of newer and older combined hormonal contraceptives on blood clot risk.

In the meantime, the message to women with migraines considering hormonal contraceptives is "talk to your doctor," Joshi says.

Rosen says both studies also point to the importance of receiving an accurate migraine diagnosis.

“Only about half of people with migraines ever get diagnosed,” he says. “We now know that it is important to have a diagnosis not only for the treatment of the migraine but to understand the risk for other conditions.”

The study by Kurth and colleagues was supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study by Joshi and colleagues was supported by the Graham Headache Center Research Fund.