Is Migraine Hereditary? What Genetics Really Says
Your mum gets migraines. Maybe your aunt does too, or your grandmother "always had one of her heads." Now it's your turn, and you're asking yourself: is migraine hereditary, was this written into your genes, and could your own children inherit it?
So, is migraine hereditary? Partly, yes. Genes clearly play a role, but there is no single "migraine gene", and having a parent with migraine does not mean your child will definitely get it. This article is part of our guide to understanding migraine, and it walks you through what studies actually show, what is still uncertain, and what you can do with this information.
In short
- Migraine is partly hereditary: the Cleveland Clinic reports a 50% to 75% chance of having migraine if at least one biological parent has it, but this describes a family tendency, not a certainty.
- There is no single gene for common migraine: a review of migraine genetics describes many small genetic variants that add up, with heritability estimated at about 42% in recent studies.
- Migraine with aura appears more heritable, and familial hemiplegic migraine is a rare form clearly linked to specific genes.
- Genes are only part of the picture: hormones, triggers and daily habits also matter, and a child of a parent with migraine may or may not develop it.
Is migraine hereditary? What the studies say
Migraine does tend to run in families. The NHS notes that you're more likely to get migraine if you have a close family member who has it, and the Mayo Clinic lists family history as a risk factor too.
The Cleveland Clinic reports that if at least one of your biological parents has migraine, there is a 50% to 75% chance that you will have it as well. That sounds high, and it is worth reading carefully: it describes a tendency in families, not a guarantee for any one person.
Researchers also use a measure called heritability. It estimates how much of the difference in migraine between people in a population can be linked to genetic differences. A review of migraine genetics puts it at about 42% in recent studies, with older estimates ranging from 40% to 70%.
In plain words: genes matter, but they are only part of the story. The rest comes from other factors, which we'll get to below. If some of these terms are new to you, our migraine glossary explains them simply.
Why there is no single "migraine gene"
When people hear "hereditary", they often imagine one faulty gene passed from parent to child, a bit like eye colour in school biology lessons. Common migraine does not work like that.
The same genetics review explains that migraine is mostly polygenic. That means many genetic variants, each with a very small effect, add up to raise the likelihood of migraine. Large genome-wide studies (which scan the DNA of many thousands of people) have found more than 180 such variants, and each one only slightly increases risk.
One of the biggest of these studies, a meta-analysis of about 375,000 people, identified 38 regions of the genome linked to migraine. Many of these relate to how nerve cells and blood vessels work, which fits with what we know about how attacks happen.
Think of it like a dimmer switch rather than an on/off switch. Some people inherit a combination that makes their brain a little more sensitive to triggers, and others inherit a combination that makes it less so. The American Migraine Foundation has a helpful overview of this if you'd like to read more.
Is migraine with aura more hereditary?
It seems so. According to the genetics review, heritability is higher in migraine with aura than in migraine without aura. The same review reports that in population studies, a first-degree relative (a parent, sibling or child) of someone with migraine has a 1.5 to 4 times higher risk than the general population. The risk is higher when the person with migraine has more severe or frequent attacks, started young, or has aura.
If you're not sure whether what you experience counts as aura, our guide to migraine with aura explains the warning signs, and the ophthalmic migraine article covers visual symptoms in detail.
A small reality check: these are averages across large groups. They tell researchers something about populations, but they can't predict what will happen in your family.
The rare case of familial hemiplegic migraine
There is one type of migraine where genetics is much more clear-cut. Familial hemiplegic migraine is rare. During the aura, people have temporary weakness on one side of the body, along with other aura symptoms.
Research on hemiplegic migraine describes it as the only migraine subtype for which a single-gene, autosomal dominant inheritance has been clearly established. "Autosomal dominant" means that a change in one copy of a gene is enough to cause the condition, and that it can be passed from parent to child.
Three genes are best known: CACNA1A, ATP1A2 and SCN1A. They all affect how nerve cells move charged particles in and out, which is part of how brain cells communicate.
Two important points here:
- This is not the migraine most people have. If you get throbbing headaches, nausea and sensitivity to light, you almost certainly do not have this rare form. Our article on migraine vs headache shows how typical migraine is defined.
- Not every case is familial. The same research describes sporadic hemiplegic migraine too, where no close relative has identical attacks.
Weakness on one side of the body can look like a stroke, so sudden symptoms like this always deserve urgent medical attention. If you have been told your attacks involve weakness, a neurologist can talk you through whether genetic testing makes sense for you.
Genetics doesn't explain everything
If genes were the whole answer, identical twins would always share the same migraine pattern. Studies suggest that is not the case, since heritability sits at around 40% and not at 100%. Even in the rare hemiplegic form, a case report described identical twin sisters where only one had the condition.
So what else is involved? The Cleveland Clinic explains that migraine is caused by a combination of genetic, medical and environmental factors. This is where your everyday life comes in:
- Hormones. The Mayo Clinic notes that women are three times more likely to have migraines than men, and that hormonal changes (periods, pregnancy, menopause) can affect them. See migraine and periods for more.
- Triggers. The NHS lists things like stress, tiredness, skipping meals, too much caffeine and, for some people, periods.
- Shared household habits. Families often share routines, such as sleep schedules, meals and stress levels. So some of the "running in the family" may come from environment as well as genes, as the Cleveland Clinic points out for headaches in general.
What we can't say yet is exactly how much each factor weighs for any one person. The same genetic tendency can lead to very different experiences, which is why one sister may have monthly attacks and another only a few in her life.
Will you pass your migraine on to your children?
This is often the real question behind the search, so let's be honest and gentle about it. You might, but it is far from certain. A tendency can be passed on, but nobody inherits migraine in the way they inherit a hair colour.
The Cleveland Clinic and its article on hereditary migraine report that children of parents with migraine are more likely to develop it, up to four times as likely as other children according to the latter. That is a higher chance, not a prediction. A lot of children with a migraine parent never have significant migraines, and some children with no family history do.
A few things worth keeping in mind:
- Many children do not develop migraine at all, even when one parent has it.
- If they do, it can be managed. There are many ways to treat migraine today, and a doctor can guide you and your child through them.
- You already have an advantage. You know what migraine looks like, so you are more likely to recognise it early and take your child's pain seriously.
If you want to know what migraine can look like in younger people, our guide to migraine in children and teens explains the signs parents often miss, including how symptoms can differ from adults'.
It can also help to put things in perspective. Migraine is very common worldwide, which we cover in migraine by the numbers. Being part of a large group means more research, more treatment options and more understanding than ever.
Migraine runs in your family: what can you do with that information?
Knowing about your family history is useful, as long as it doesn't become a source of worry. Here are some practical ways to use it.
- Talk to your relatives. Ask which type of headaches they had, when they started, and what helped. Details such as aura, or attacks linked to periods, can give your doctor useful context.
- Mention your family history to your doctor. It is one of the pieces of information doctors consider when assessing headaches. Your doctor is the right person to say whether anything in your family story needs a closer look.
- Learn your own triggers. Even with a genetic tendency, triggers are the part you can often observe and work with. Our guide on how to identify your migraine triggers shows how to do this step by step.
- Don't blame yourself or your parents. You did not cause your migraines, and your parents could not have chosen to pass on or hold back a tendency.
- Watch your child gently. If your child starts having repeated headaches, note when they happen and what was going on, and take that to a paediatrician or GP rather than trying to work it out alone.
Please also avoid starting or stopping any treatment on the basis of family stories. What worked for your mother may not suit you, and decisions about medicines always belong with your doctor.
In short
- Migraine is partly hereditary. Family history raises the chance of migraine, but it isn't a certainty.
- There is no single migraine gene for the common forms. Many small genetic variants add up, and heritability is estimated at around 40% or so.
- Migraine with aura appears more heritable, and familial hemiplegic migraine is a rare, clearly inherited form caused by specific genes.
- Genes are only part of the picture. Hormones, triggers and daily habits matter too.
- Your children may or may not be affected, and if they are, migraine can be recognised early and managed with medical support.
Frequently asked questions
Is migraine hereditary?
Partly, yes. The Cleveland Clinic reports a 50% to 75% chance of having migraine if at least one biological parent has it, but this describes a tendency in families, not a guarantee for any one person.
Is there a single migraine gene?
No, not for the common forms. A review of migraine genetics explains that migraine is mostly polygenic: many genetic variants, each with a very small effect, add up to raise the likelihood of migraine.
Is migraine with aura more hereditary?
It seems so. The same genetics review reports that heritability is higher in migraine with aura than in migraine without aura.
Will my children inherit my migraine?
They might, but it is far from certain. The Cleveland Clinic reports that children of parents with migraine are more likely to develop it, yet many never have significant migraines. If your child has repeated headaches, a paediatrician or GP can guide you.
Sources
- Migraine - NHS
- Migraine - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
- Are Migraines Hereditary?
- Headaches in Children: Causes, Types & Pain Relief
- Headache: What It Is, Types, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
- The Genetics of Migraine
- Genetics of migraine: where are we now?
- Meta-analysis of 375,000 individuals identifies 38 susceptibility loci for migraine - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Hemiplegic migraine: genetics and pathophysiology - PMC
- Exploring the association between familial hemiplegic migraine genes (CACNA1A, ATP1A2 and SCN1A) with migraine and epilepsy: A UK Biobank exome-wide association study - PubMed
- Monozygotic twin sisters discordant for familial hemiplegic migraine
Written by Laurine Nicoletti, founder of Mellow, who has lived with migraine since she was 21. Learn more · How we write our articles
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