Following on from my genetic links post.

This is very simple.

Could anyone who, like me has no apparent genetic links to migraine.
Cannot find anyone in family who also suffered perhaps say please?

It seems the vast majority of you can site obvious connections.
I do seem to be almost on my own with no links.
Am I??

Thanks a lot.

pen

You are not alone. My daughter has no genetic links either. We've looked far and wide and haven't found any so there is a small percentage of people who do do not have a genetic link.

Thank you Ann. We are in the minority as far as I can determine.
I am sorry your daughter is inflicted with this awful illness.

Pen

No genetic link. Migraines most likely originated with an early injury.

Chris

Hi,

I think migraines can both ways- genetic migraine, or non-genetic.

Also, could it be possible that a family member had migraine and it skipped a few generations, or wasn't acknoledged at all. It is also possible they were called something different- "sinues headaches or Sick headaches."

In my case, the migraines are genetic. My paternal grandmother had "sinus" headaches, which were definitely migraines. My father had migraine as a teenager. (During his first migraine, his legs and arm went numb and he was terrified that he ight have polio- he didn't. My grandfather, also a doctor said, "no, t is just a bad migraine." Two first cousins have migraines. However, theirs are not nearly as a severe as mine are.

Genetic or not, it is migraine.

Pain free days,
sailingm

Really Chris. I had a few blows to the head when I was a kid. Couple of bad falls from horses, and a bumper car accident which apparently broke my nose, but I didnt find out until years later....Never really thought about that, but we did have a discussion about forceps deliveries and I was one of those.... interesting...thanks.

Sailing. Although I am an only, I have over 30 cousins covering both sides and not one of them even gets headaches. However several have IBS which their mother's also had, and my Paternal grandfather had. We also have a few other inherited conditions I wont bore you with.
Because I do genealogy, which also includes health wherever possible, I have found no trace of any kind of headache problems at all.
Of course I cannot speak to everyone, but I was advised that 3 generations are sufficient and a direct line. After that it is likely down to coincidence, as the gene pool becomes dilute each time of course. When my migraines were investigated, if you can call it that, I was told that grandparents and parents siblings was a credible link. Either way I have searched far from that and no headaches. I know it sounds as if there should be a link, but I have read a few articles where doctors have said too much is being made of the genetics and families and nurture can play just as important a part. Like my mum's family have succumbed to osteoporosis. All malnourished as children and all heavy smokers. Fascinating isnt it....

It is. Even though migraines go back three generations, four if you add my children, noone in the family had or has them as severe as Sarah and me. We seem to have gotten the short end of the stick both genetically and environmentally. I have a sneaking suspicion that growing up downwind of an oil refinery that had numerous accidents and leaks is a contributing factor to why my body doesn't handle petrochemicals and allergens very well.

You never know what damage is done as a child and teenager that carries through to adulthood and beyond. Accidents, exposure to toxins, abuse, etc. They all have long term effects. I've had nine surgeries, two car accidents, 4 whiplashes, numerous back injuries, was abused, and I am positive that some combination of all that is what caused the Fibro, which just make migraine triggers more sensitive, and so on. Migraines started with puberty, and I wonder if it wasn't for all the other stuff would they be as bad?

It's all a mystery and the answers may not be found in my lifetime, but I hope they find one eventually.

Nobody in my family on either side has/had them. I started getting them when I was in my mid-20s. It's a mystery.

apparently from the victorians and uptill when migs were correctly diagnosed they were known as billious attacks and the headahes were thought to be as a result of the upset tummy, so maybe look down that line pen rather than the headaches???!!!

Plenty of IBS, my mum, several cousins, my grandfather and a daughter.
BUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO HEADACHES.....

So we have a genetic link to IBS....and that is a so called co morbid.
BUT with the new info on Glutamate and its implications in IBS (and fibro)
My guess is that they are not co morbid, they are connected, and come out differently in different people.

You wont find many Fibro people without headaches and or IBS.
IBS people without headaches.
Migraine people. I ran a poll on here.
Hardly anyone has "only" migraines...

You are what you eat, they used to tell us.
Might be a bit simplistic, but also might be as clue.
I know that I had IBS for years before I ever got a migraine,and they were hormonal.
I am convinced there is a link, but not clever enough to work it out.
Leave that to the scientists...

pen

Pen you mentioned forceps delivery which reminded me of something. My neuro once asked me if I knew whether or not I was delivered with forceps. My opthamologist has also asked this in regards to my migraines. They both have said that there may have been some damage to a nerve during delivery which possibly in turn may have caused my migraines. No proof unfortunately that this is a cause but it does make one wonder.