The Gender Gap: Know Your Risks

Being a woman makes you more likely to be diagnosed with certain health issues, such as depression, insomnia and migraines. We find out why – and look at how you can beat the odds

- Tan Gin Yee

There’s a real, tangible “gender gap” with some diseases and we don’t mean obvious ones, such as breast cancer, endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome. The reality is that women are more at risk of a few common health issues, such as depression, insomnia and migraines. The question is why, and what can you do about it? Here’s what you need to know about six health problems you’re more at risk of, just because you’re a woman.

Migraine

THE STATS A research conducted by the Duke-NUS Medical School and Novartis found that migraines tend to be more common in adult women than in men. According to the Migraine Research Foundation in New York, women tend to suffer from migraine three times as often as men.

WHY Monthly hormonal fluctuations are thought to play a role – more than 50 per cent of migraines that occur in women strike just before, during or after a monthly period. But lab-based research also suggests that women’s brains may have a faster trigger than men’s for activating the waves of activity responsible for migraines.

FIGHT BACK BY Making sure your diet is full of folate-rich foods, such as spinach, citrus fruits, legumes and eggs. Folate, a B-vitamin, can significantly reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, by lowering levels of a headache-triggering protein called homocysteine.

Stroke