For the nearly 28 million Americans with migraine⁴ - of which nearly 70 percent are women⁵- there is simply no time in their busy schedules to deal with the symptoms of a migraine headache. To better understand how migraine affects women today, the National Headache Foundation (NHF) and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP conducted a survey of 2,442 women in the United States who suffer from migraine.

The survey found that:

• Women who experienced migraine suffered an average of five headaches each month.⁹
• Nearly ninety percent (89 percent) of 326 working women who suffered from migraine headaches experienced them while at work, and 61 percent reported that they took time off directly due to migraines (in 2000, survey respondents took an average of 5.4 days off due to their illness).⁹
• The most common migraine trigger was work-related stress (41 percent). Lack of sleep and change of schedules (37 percent) tied for second, and home-related stress (29 percent) was the third most common trigger.⁹
• "Relaxation" does not necessarily mean "headache free." About half (51 percent) of the women surveyed who suffered from migraine reported that they get migraine headaches while on vacation.⁹
• Nearly half of women migraine sufferers (47 percent) reported that their ability to function at work was affected by their headaches.⁹
• Two in five (42 percent) women migraine sufferers surveyed reported that their home and family responsibilities were affected by their headaches.⁹
• Eighty percent (80%) of women migraine sufferers surveyed who were employed felt that their productivity was affected by their headaches.⁹
• Three quarters (76 percent) of female migraine sufferers surveyed stated they would be interested in a medication that relieves migraine symptoms within two hours.⁹
• Seventy-two percent (72%) of women survey respondents indicated the most important factor in a migraine medication is that it is fast acting.⁹

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