A recent article in in the July 7, 2008, issue of Time Magazine talked about “The Fragile X Factor”. Fragile X is a sex-linked genetic disorder that affects both sexes, but especially boys.
Without going into too much genetic science, males have chromosomes that are XY and females are XX. A genetic defect in the X chromosome is generally not a problem in females as they have another X chromosome as a counterbalance. Whereas a male child will likely have significant problems because he has only one X chromosome, and if that chromosome is defective there is no counterbalancing X chromosome, only a Y chromosome.
Remember the Russian royal family with the young Tsar-to-be with the bleeding disorder? Rasputin? This may have changed history for the next century. This was a sex linked genetic disorder traced back to Queen Victoria of England.
But Fragile X is a different problem. It is not a bleeding problem. Rather the full scale manifestation is autism, ADD or ADHD and/or mental retardation in boys. In fact, it is the most well documented form of autism and accounts for 5% of all autistic cases according to the article.
But what does this have to with women and migraines? Because women who are carriers of Fragile X do manifest some problems consistent with ovarian failure, infertility or early menopause in their early thirties.
These women also have a tendency to develop migraine headaches.
About 20% of female carriers of Fragile X will develop premature ovarian failure. Of course, this is missed almost 100% of the time and passed off as “early menopause”. Technically it is true that this is early menopause and there is no known cure.
However, just like with menopause, we can and should use bio-identical hormones to supplement the lack of female sex hormones. We can actually normalize a woman’s life, get rid of her hot flashes (at age 32) and make her migraines go away – all at the same time.
Mainstream medicine hasn’t caught up to this yet, so it is my job to inform you first.
By the way, a good website for menopause is www.1-Menopause.com
One more thing about Fragile X is that males who don’t manifest autism, mental retardation or ADD/ADHD at a young age and seem to have skipped the problems may ultimately develop serious neurologic problems in their 50′s. These can be very serious like a full blown Parkinson’s Syndrome and/or Alzheimer’s.
So I recommend that any male child with ADD/ADHD, autism or mental retardation be tested for Fragile X. If positive, then test mom, too. Then test her father and male relatives.
Andrew Jones, M.D.
Medical Director, Women’s Health Institute of Texas