Pregnancy and Migraine Attacks

Jul 11
20:12

2015

Jason Mitchell

Jason Mitchell

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The exact causes of migraine are still unknown, the only thing experts are sure about is that brain vessels are its main ‘culprits’. Women tend to suffer from migraines twice as often as men and during pregnancy due to certain hormonal changes happening in the female body the risk of developing migraine is even higher. Although migraine attack is not harmful for the fetus, mothers-to-be do have hard times during such attacks as most popular treatments for migraine cannot be used during pregnancy.

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Migraine is a chronic functional disorder accompanied by periodic attacks of severe headache. It’s still not known what exactly causes migraine,Pregnancy and Migraine Attacks Articles its etiology is debatable, certain experts believe that migraine is inherited, some medics think that it’s a neurological disorder, whereas others believe it’s a vascular disease. Unfortunately, modern drugs can only relieve its symptoms, but cannot cure this disease. One can find cheap prescription drugs to relieve migraine attacks in online pharmacies.

According to statistics, women suffer from migraine two times more often than men, especially during periods of hormonal changes. Quite often the first signs of migraine can appear in girls at the age of 10-13 years, that is during puberty, when the body experiences serious changes.

Many women suffering from migraine attacks wonder if pregnancy can affect their condition. Luckily, for most women pregnancy brings positive changes. Researches show that in 60-70% of cases migraine attacks stop or at least become less frequent due to the hormonal changes happening in the body of a pregnant woman, about 25% of women notice no changes in their condition, and about 4-8% may experience worsening of migraines. If a woman suffers from migraine attacks with aura, then there is a risk that during pregnancy such attacks will become worse, but in those who don’t have aura pregnancy can lead to an improvement of migraine symptoms. Sometimes pregnancy can promote the development of this disease in those who have never experienced migraines before.

A pregnant woman should always tell her doctor about any headaches she experiences, especially if they are intense, two-sided, throbbing and if they aggravate during physical activity as it might be a symptom of eclampsia, a very dangerous complication of pregnancy.

Migraine attacks can be triggered by various factors:

  • Stress;
  • Lack of sleep;
  • Decrease in blood pressure;
  • Such foods as chocolate, cheese, hot spices, too much citrus fruits;
  • Foods with nitrates and MSG preservative;
  • Alcohol and smoking, which are anyway contraindicated in pregnant women;
  • Skipping meals;
  • Sharp changes in the weather, etc.

The first defense line against migraine attacks is self-care and healthy life-style. The following tips can help manage migraine during pregnancy:

  • Drink a lot of water;
  • Avoid any triggers that you know can provoke an attack (keeping a migraine diary can be useful);
  • Get enough rest;
  • Keep a predictable schedule of snacks and meals;
  • Take a class in a relaxation technique;
  • If an attack occurs, try massage, ice pack and resting in a darkened, quiet room.

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