Your family doctor will diagnose a migraine headache simply by asking you questions regarding your health and lifestyle and by examining you. Migraines can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms can be so close to other headache disorders.

Many people have been diagnosed with sinus headaches when they actually have a migraine. As a result, many migraine sufferers go undiagnosed and untreated.

Your doctor may use the International Headache Society's criteria to diagnose migraines. You may be diagnosed if you experience 5 or more headache attacks without an aura or 2 attacks with an aura that last from 4 to 72 hours without treatment and are accompanied by symptoms of nausea, vomiting, or sensitivity to light and noise.

Your doctor will check your symptoms and decide whether you need to have tests to rule out other conditions that might be causing your headaches. Tests may include:

• MRI or CT scan, which could rule out a tumor or bleeding in the brain.

• Lumbar puncture (also called a spinal tap), which may be done if your doctor thinks that you might have another condition such as meningitis or bleeding in the brain.

• Sedimentation rate, which may help determine whether another condition is causing inflammation related to your headaches.

(International Headache Society, July 18, 2005).