According to research appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (July 19, 2006; 296(3):283-91), women who experience migraine headaches with aura have an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Researchers looked at the health of 28,000 women who were free from cardiovascular disease at the start of the study and followed them for 12 years. Women who experienced migraine headaches, with aura, had twice the risk of heart attack or stroke when compared to women who did not have migraines. An aura is an episode that precedes the migraine and includes symptoms like flashes, spots of light, visual disturbance (including temporary loss) or dizziness.