A population study of 1310 women aged 45-64 years determined the prevalence of headache and migraine in the preceding year. To investigate the hypothesis that women with migraine had a higher mortality rate, these women were followed up nearly 12 years later. Unexpectedly, the mortality was found to be higher in women without headaches. Women with headaches and migraine had a relative risk of dying of 0.72 (95% confidence interval 0.52-1.00) compared with those without headaches.