Headaches can be divided into primary and secondary. Primary headaches are unpleasant and affect quality of life, but in most cases are not life-threatening. Secondary pain, however, is not. Secondary headaches can be caused by another illness, for example, cervical spine problems, sinusitis caused by a cold or virus, or a serious life-threatening illness such as a brain tumor or bleeding in the brain.
If a person over the age of 40 is experiencing a headache for the first time that he or she has never experienced before, he or she should undergo a thorough examination to determine the cause of the pain. People with long-standing or recurrent headaches should do the same.
Migraine headaches are of a throbbing nature with sharp pain, and patients initially localize them to the center of the head. This course is typical, but not the only one. Migraine headaches occur more frequently in women by a ratio of 4 to 1. In women, it first occurs at the onset of menstruation and often ends at menopause. Migraine pain is related to natural fluctuations in sex hormones, which is why migraine attacks occur most frequently during menarche and ovulation. Other triggers include stress, weather changes, and changes in barometric pressure, and certain foods and drinks, even small amounts of alcohol, are often problematic. The duration of attacks in untreated patients ranges from 4 to 24 hours, but can sometimes last up to 72 hours.10] 
The resting period for women who have migraine attacks is the second and third trimester of pregnancy, during which the pain is essentially absent or only mild. This is due to sex hormones. This condition persists throughout the pregnancy of the sixth child and partially throughout the lactation and breastfeeding periods. After these periods, migraine headaches may return to their original state. Alternatively, pregnancy may have a positive impact on later life by reducing the course and frequency of attacks.