Reviewed against NHS, ACOG, and peer-reviewed clinical guidance.
Yes, endometriosis is linked to migraines. Women with endometriosis are about 2.25 times as likely to have migraine, a 2025 meta-analysis found.
Yes, endometriosis is linked to migraines: women with endometriosis are roughly twice as likely to have migraine as women without it. A 2025 meta-analysis of 13 studies and 331,655 people in The Journal of Headache and Pain found odds of migraine 2.25 times higher with endometriosis, although most included studies carried a high risk of bias.
This article draws on the 2025 Journal of Headache and Pain meta-analysis, a 2026 review in Frontiers in Neurology, the WHO endometriosis fact sheet, NICE endometriosis guideline NG73, and NHS guidance, current as of October 2026.
What Is Endometriosis and How Common Is It?
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the womb lining grows outside the womb, causing pain and inflammation. The WHO estimates it affects about 10% of women of reproductive age worldwide, around 190 million people, and notes that long delays in diagnosis are common.
Its main symptoms are severe period pain, also called dysmenorrhoea (dysmenorrhea in US spelling), heavy bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, pain during sex, and fertility problems. Migraine is a different condition: a moderate or severe headache, often one-sided, sometimes with aura or sensitivity to light. Both are shaped by the monthly cycle, as oestrogen (estrogen) and progesterone rise and fall, which is explained in the guide to the four phases of the menstrual cycle.
Solu is a women's wellness app that maps cycle-phase-aware guidance across movement, nutrition, sleep, and energy, built for women tracking hormonal, cycle, and premenstrual symptoms. Recording headaches, pain, and mood in Solu builds a picture across several cycles of when both kinds of pain arrive.
How Strong Is the Link Between Endometriosis and Migraine?
The link between endometriosis and migraine is consistent across studies, but the exact size is uncertain. The 2025 meta-analysis found 2.25 times higher odds of migraine overall, rising to 2.64 times when only studies at lower risk of bias were kept. Half the included studies were rated at very high risk of bias.
| What the evidence shows | What remains unclear |
|---|---|
| Migraine odds about 2.25 times higher with endometriosis | The exact size of the risk |
| The link holds in lower-bias studies (2.64 times) | Which endometriosis types carry most risk |
| Shared genes and inflammation pathways | Whether one condition causes the other |
Weighed together, the 2025 meta-analysis and the 2026 review support a real association, while leaving cause and effect unproven. The meta-analysis authors note that no conclusive evidence yet links specific subtypes of endometriosis to migraine.
Why Might Endometriosis and Migraine Happen Together?
Endometriosis and migraine may happen together because they share genes and inflammation pathways, rather than one causing the other. A 2026 review in Frontiers in Neurology found that genetic studies point to shared risk genes and shared immune signals that drive both pelvic and brain inflammation.
The review describes Mendelian randomisation studies, which use genes to test cause and effect, as finding no direct causal link. It also highlights central sensitisation, where the nervous system becomes more reactive to pain, as an amplifier of both conditions. Hormones add a third thread. The NHS lists having a period as a common migraine trigger and notes that attacks just before or during a period, called menstrual migraines, are often longer and more severe. Period pain mechanisms are covered in the guide to whether exercise reduces period pain.
How Can Women Track Migraine and Pelvic Pain Together?
Women can track migraine and pelvic pain together by logging each headache and each pain day against the day of the cycle for at least three months. That record shows whether migraines cluster around periods and whether pelvic pain spreads beyond period days, a pattern NICE links to endometriosis.
Useful details to note each time:
- Cycle day and whether bleeding has started.
- Headache length, side, and any aura.
- Pelvic pain strength on a 0 to 10 scale.
- Pain during sex, bowel movements, or passing urine.
If 4 of 5 migraines in three months begin within 2 days of a period starting, that record points to menstrual migraine and gives a doctor a clear starting point. Skipping meals is another NHS-listed trigger, and Solu's phase-based nutrition guidance, such as iron-rich foods during the menstrual phase, supports regular eating on heavy days. Pain during sex can also dampen desire, as covered in the guide to why libido changes across the cycle.
When Should You See a Doctor About Migraine or Pelvic Pain?
Call emergency services for a sudden, extremely painful headache, weakness on one side of the body, loss of vision, or confusion, which the NHS treats as emergencies. Get an urgent GP appointment for a migraine lasting more than 72 hours or aura lasting more than 1 hour.
Book a routine GP visit for period pain that affects daily activities, deep pain during or after sex, or painful bowel movements or urination around periods. NICE guideline NG73 lists these symptoms as reasons to "Suspect endometriosis in women (including young women aged 17 and under)". Regular migraines before or during periods are also worth raising. Long cycles or irregular bleeding alongside pain can point to other conditions, such as those covered in the guide to PMOS, formerly PCOS.
Key Takeaways
- A 2025 meta-analysis found women with endometriosis had 2.25 times higher odds of migraine.
- The WHO estimates endometriosis affects about 10% of reproductive-age women, around 190 million people.
- A 2026 review links the two conditions through shared genes and inflammation, not direct cause and effect.
- The NHS advises urgent care for a migraine lasting more than 72 hours or aura lasting over 1 hour.
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