A study aimed to compare symptoms of clinical androgen deficiency between men with migraine, men with cluster headache, and men without headache. The findings appeared in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

This was a cross-sectional study in design which utilized two validated questionnaires to assess symptoms of androgen deficiency in males with migraine (n=853), cluster headache (n=694), and non-headache controls (n=209). The primary endpoint was defined as the mean difference in androgen deficiency scores. The secondary outcome was the percentage of patients reporting to score below average on four sexual symptoms (beard growth, morning erections, libido, and sexual potency) as these items were previously shown to differentiate androgen deficiency symptoms more specifically from comorbid anxiety and depression, the researchers noted.

The questionnaires were completed by 63% of men with migraine, 63% of men with cluster headache, and 73% of controls. Responders were older compared to non-responders and more likely to suffer from lifetime depression. The results showed that patients reported more severe symptoms of clinical androgen deficiency compared with controls, with higher Aging Males Symptoms scores, and lower quantitative Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male scores. Moreover, the study found that both patient groups more often reported to suffer from any of the specific sexual symptoms compared to controls.

“Men with migraine and cluster headache more often suffer from symptoms consistent with clinical androgen deficiency than males without a primary headache disorder,” the researchers concluded.

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34666669/

 

Keywords: Headache, Libido, Morning erections, Sex hormones, Sexual potency