While there are many new symptoms that occur during pregnancy, like weight gain, acid reflux, and back pain, there can also be worsening or improvement of existing medical conditions.
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For instance, migraines tend to improve during pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimesters. Other conditions, like headache disorders unique to pregnancy, may also arise.
Headache Evaluation During Pregnancy
Whenevaluating your headache, your healthcare provider will perform a detailed history. She may ask you questions pertaining to any medical conditions you have, like high blood pressure or depression, or whether you are taking any medications or over-the-counter supplements, like vitamins, caffeine, or laxatives.
Your healthcare provider will also inquire as to the characteristics of your headache such as how intense it is, how long it has lasted, or whether there are associated symptoms like nausea or vomiting. This is done in order to make an accurate diagnosis, as well as to assessheadache warning signsand rule out medical emergencies.
Some specific headache warning signs (which maysignal dangerous headaches in pregnancy) that warrant immediate medical attention include:
Primary Headaches During Pregnancy
The three most common primary headache disorders are migraines,tension-type headaches, andcluster headaches. While women can develop a new headache disorder during pregnancy, typically these disorders have already existed. Aside from migraines, tension-type headaches and cluster headaches tend to remain stable during pregnancy.
Migraines are the most common headache in pregnancy but are generally less severe and occur less often than those outside of pregnancy. That said, migraines may be worsened initially during the first trimester, especially with the change in hormone levels in the body and the added stress occurring.
There is some scientific evidence that women with migraines may be at a higher risk of developing preeclampsia and/or preterm birth, although more research needs to be done to tease apart this relationship.
Headaches From Preeclampsia/Eclampsia
Preeclampsia and eclampsia are serious medical conditions that can occur after 20 weeks gestation and/or during the postpartum period.Preeclampsiacauses high blood pressure and protein in the urine.
In addition to a very high blood pressure,severe preeclampsiamay lead to the following symptoms:
Eclampsiais a potentially fatal condition and occurs when a woman develops seizures, blindness, and/or coma in the face of severe preeclampsia.
Unlike migraines though, a preeclampsia-related headache may be associated with other worrisome features like blurry or double vision and abdominal pain. Moreover, while migraines tend to occur on one side of the head, a headache from preeclampsia is located all over.
According to an article inHeadache, women with a history of migraines are nearly four times more likely to develop preeclampsia than those without a history of migraines.
2:21Click Play to Learn All About Preeclampsia
2:21
Click Play to Learn All About Preeclampsia
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) is a serious medical disorder that is commonly seen in women with obesity of child-bearing years. It may occur during any trimester of pregnancy.
IIH causes a headache along with vision changes and pulsatile tinnitus (when people hear a rhythmic sound that matches their heartbeat). People with IIH will have normal brain imaging but will have elevatedcerebrospinal fluid pressureswhen alumbar punctureis performed.
Reversible Cerebral Vascular Syndrome
The cause of this syndrome is unknown, but the origin of the pain is believed to be related to spasm of the arteries in the brain. Treatment is with calcium channel blockers, which is a blood pressure medication that helps to dilate or open the brain arteries.
Keep in mind that if a woman goes to the emergency room with a thunderclap headache, an exhaustive approach to rule out asubarachnoid hemorrhageis imperative before assuming the woman to have a reversible cerebral vascular syndrome.
Other Causes
In addition to the headache disorders mentioned above, there are other potential causes of dangerous headaches, like stroke, meningitis, carotid or vertebral artery dissection, andpituitary apoplexy. There are also potential benign causes like sinusitis,post-lumbar puncture headache, ormedication withdrawal headache.
Summary
In the end, most headaches in pregnancy are not dangerous. Still, if you experience a headache during pregnancy that is not eased withsimple remedieslike a cold compresses, sleep, caffeine (if you suspect acaffeine withdrawal headache,) relaxation, and/or food, or if your headache follows a different pattern or shows headache warning signs, be sure to contact your healthcare provider right away.
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sanchez SE, Qiu C, Williams MA, Lam N, Sorensen TK.Headaches and migraines are associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia in Peruvian women.Am J Hypertens. 2008;21(3):360-4. doi:10.1038/ajh.2007.46The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy FAQs.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Preeclampsia and eclampsia.American Academy of Neurology.Clinical features and prognosis of headache in preeclampsia and eclampsia (I5.013).U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Aspirin use to prevent preeclampsia and related morbidity and mortality: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the treatments for preeclampsia, eclampsia, & HELLP syndrome?National Organization for Rare Diseases.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension.Skandhan AK, Ramakrishnan KG, Anand R.Call-Fleming syndrome.Indian J Radiol Imaging. 2013;23(3):198-201. doi:10.4103/0971-3026.120258Cleveland Clinic.Headaches in adults.Additional ReadingDigre KB.Headaches during pregnancy.Clin Obstet Gynecol.2013;56(2):317-29. doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e31828f25e6Kesler A, Kupferminc M.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension and pregnancy.Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2013;56(2):389-96. doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e31828f2701Lee M-J, Guinn D, Hickenbottom S.Headache in pregnant and postpartum women.Moustafa RR, Allen CM, Baron JC.Call-Fleming syndrome associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage: three new cases.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatr.2008;79(5):602–5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.134635Nappi RE, Albani F, Sances G, Terreno E, Brambilia E, Polatti F.Headaches during pregnancy.Curr Pain Headache Rep.2011;15(4):289-94. doi:10.1007/s11916-011-0200-8
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sanchez SE, Qiu C, Williams MA, Lam N, Sorensen TK.Headaches and migraines are associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia in Peruvian women.Am J Hypertens. 2008;21(3):360-4. doi:10.1038/ajh.2007.46The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy FAQs.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Preeclampsia and eclampsia.American Academy of Neurology.Clinical features and prognosis of headache in preeclampsia and eclampsia (I5.013).U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Aspirin use to prevent preeclampsia and related morbidity and mortality: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the treatments for preeclampsia, eclampsia, & HELLP syndrome?National Organization for Rare Diseases.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension.Skandhan AK, Ramakrishnan KG, Anand R.Call-Fleming syndrome.Indian J Radiol Imaging. 2013;23(3):198-201. doi:10.4103/0971-3026.120258Cleveland Clinic.Headaches in adults.Additional ReadingDigre KB.Headaches during pregnancy.Clin Obstet Gynecol.2013;56(2):317-29. doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e31828f25e6Kesler A, Kupferminc M.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension and pregnancy.Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2013;56(2):389-96. doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e31828f2701Lee M-J, Guinn D, Hickenbottom S.Headache in pregnant and postpartum women.Moustafa RR, Allen CM, Baron JC.Call-Fleming syndrome associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage: three new cases.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatr.2008;79(5):602–5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.134635Nappi RE, Albani F, Sances G, Terreno E, Brambilia E, Polatti F.Headaches during pregnancy.Curr Pain Headache Rep.2011;15(4):289-94. doi:10.1007/s11916-011-0200-8
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Sanchez SE, Qiu C, Williams MA, Lam N, Sorensen TK.Headaches and migraines are associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia in Peruvian women.Am J Hypertens. 2008;21(3):360-4. doi:10.1038/ajh.2007.46The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy FAQs.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Preeclampsia and eclampsia.American Academy of Neurology.Clinical features and prognosis of headache in preeclampsia and eclampsia (I5.013).U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Aspirin use to prevent preeclampsia and related morbidity and mortality: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the treatments for preeclampsia, eclampsia, & HELLP syndrome?National Organization for Rare Diseases.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension.Skandhan AK, Ramakrishnan KG, Anand R.Call-Fleming syndrome.Indian J Radiol Imaging. 2013;23(3):198-201. doi:10.4103/0971-3026.120258Cleveland Clinic.Headaches in adults.
Sanchez SE, Qiu C, Williams MA, Lam N, Sorensen TK.Headaches and migraines are associated with an increased risk of preeclampsia in Peruvian women.Am J Hypertens. 2008;21(3):360-4. doi:10.1038/ajh.2007.46
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Preeclampsia and high blood pressure during pregnancy FAQs.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Preeclampsia and eclampsia.
American Academy of Neurology.Clinical features and prognosis of headache in preeclampsia and eclampsia (I5.013).
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Aspirin use to prevent preeclampsia and related morbidity and mortality: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.What are the treatments for preeclampsia, eclampsia, & HELLP syndrome?
National Organization for Rare Diseases.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension.
Skandhan AK, Ramakrishnan KG, Anand R.Call-Fleming syndrome.Indian J Radiol Imaging. 2013;23(3):198-201. doi:10.4103/0971-3026.120258
Cleveland Clinic.Headaches in adults.
Digre KB.Headaches during pregnancy.Clin Obstet Gynecol.2013;56(2):317-29. doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e31828f25e6Kesler A, Kupferminc M.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension and pregnancy.Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2013;56(2):389-96. doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e31828f2701Lee M-J, Guinn D, Hickenbottom S.Headache in pregnant and postpartum women.Moustafa RR, Allen CM, Baron JC.Call-Fleming syndrome associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage: three new cases.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatr.2008;79(5):602–5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.134635Nappi RE, Albani F, Sances G, Terreno E, Brambilia E, Polatti F.Headaches during pregnancy.Curr Pain Headache Rep.2011;15(4):289-94. doi:10.1007/s11916-011-0200-8
Digre KB.Headaches during pregnancy.Clin Obstet Gynecol.2013;56(2):317-29. doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e31828f25e6
Kesler A, Kupferminc M.Idiopathic intracranial hypertension and pregnancy.Clin Obstet Gynecol. 2013;56(2):389-96. doi:10.1097/GRF.0b013e31828f2701
Lee M-J, Guinn D, Hickenbottom S.Headache in pregnant and postpartum women.
Moustafa RR, Allen CM, Baron JC.Call-Fleming syndrome associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage: three new cases.J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatr.2008;79(5):602–5. doi:10.1136/jnnp.2007.134635
Nappi RE, Albani F, Sances G, Terreno E, Brambilia E, Polatti F.Headaches during pregnancy.Curr Pain Headache Rep.2011;15(4):289-94. doi:10.1007/s11916-011-0200-8
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