You cannot have an article about migraines and sex drive without mentioning the tired old turn-down, "not tonight, honey, I have a headache." Now, with that out of the way, let's take a look at home migraine syndrome really does impact sex drive. You may be surprised to learn that although no one in the throes of a debilitating migraine headache is "looking for love" at that very moment, migraine sufferers do appear to have heightened overall level of sexual interest and desire.

Research at Wake Forest University has demonstrated that migraine sufferers tend to have a higher overall sex drive level than those who don't suffer from migraines and who experience only tension headaches with some regularity.

Although migraine sufferers certainly don't appear to have a tendency toward hyperactive sexuality, their self-reporting on the standardized Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI) does show that they often function within the "high normal" range and have a greater level of desire, as a group, than others have.

For instance, women generally score somewhat lower on the SDI than do men. Generally speaking, the gap in scores is around twenty percent. However, women with migraines scored just about as high as do men who don't experience migraines. In other words, the impact on sexual desire can apparently be quite significant.

So, what is it about migraines that makes sufferers a little more amorous? The jury is still out on the cause, but researchers involved with the project tend to believe that the answer revolves around seratonin levels.

You see, when people are depressed they are often prescribed seratonin reuptake prohibitors that increase seratonin levels in the brain. Research indicates that those using these medications often suffer a marked decrease in libido. Migraine syndromes, on the other hand, actually decrease the level of seratonin in the brain. This is one reason why some have posited that migraines can encourage depression. It might also be a solid explanation for the increased interest in sexual activity among migraineurs.

Researchers at Wake Forest say there is work is far from over. Although they did find an apparent link between migraines and desire, they certainly aren't ready to say that the seratonin explanation is accurate–or that it is quite so simple. More study will be necessary to reach any definitive conclusions.

The desire/migraine link may also prove to have some diagnostic value. Administering the SDI as part of a migraine screening, for instance, might be helpful. Although a heightened sex drive certainly isn't indicative of a migraine disorder, its presence might be one indicator medical professionals can use when trying to determine whether one should be treated for migraines.

Those who suffer from the mysterious neurological disorder we call migraine can display a variety of symptoms. The condition is complicated and features more than a few interesting wrinkles. The apparent link between sex drive and the illness is yet another example of the whole-body impact migraines may have on sufferers.