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Dr. Dalliah Black (left), The Hoffberger Breast Center at Mercy and Dr. Kathy J. Helzlsouer, Director, Prevention and Research Center at Mercy.

Dr. Kathy J. Helzlsouer, Prevention & Research, And Dr. Dalliah Black, The Hoffberger Breast Center, Discuss New Study Regarding Migraines And Breast Cancer Risk

If you've ever suffered with migraines, you know how miserable they can be. But there may be a kind of silver lining for the painful headaches and a woman's risk of breast cancer. According to a new study, migraine headaches could determine a woman's risk for breast cancer. "We do know that estrogen plays a role with migraines. And we know that estrogen plays a role with breast cancers," Mercy breast surgeon Dr. Dalliah Black, The Hoffberger Breast Center, said. "How to link those two together, the study does a pretty preliminary job. But it did show that women who have migraines have a lower chance of getting breast cancer." According to Dr. Black, low estrogen levels may be protective against breast cancer and that higher estrogen levels, such as with women who take hormone replacement therapy for long periods of time, may increase the risk of getting breast cancer. Noted cancer researcher and epidemiologist Dr. Kathy Helzlsouer, Prevention and Research Center at Mercy, said the study might be an important first step that could lead to further breast cancer treatments. "The study doesn't mean you're safe from breast cancer if you get migraines and that more research needs to be done on the link between migraines and breast cancer. You can you reduce your risk for breast cancer by eating healthy, limiting hormone replacement therapies and lowering your alcohol intake," Dr. Black added.