Pregnancy Induced Migraines and Cure for Migraine Attack

What are hormone induced migraines? I am pregnant and I suffer from migraines frequently. Please let me know what can I do to prevent migraines?

Migraine Information and Treatment for Migraines

Migraine headache during pregnancy may be less frequent, especially after first trimester.
Certain precautions that can be considered to reduce the migraine attack during pregnancy are:

You need to keep a watch on migraine trigger. Note down on what food you had and what were you doing before the migraine attack.

You need to avoid foods that contain monosodium glutamate, processed meats, and artificial sweeteners, fermented foods like breads with yeast, sauerkraut, smoked fish, chocolates and sour cream. Avoid blaring noises, looking at flickering lights or excessive heat and cold.
Incase of headaches, apply cool or hot compress on the forehead or base of the neck. Prefer cold compress for quick relief.
You can have a cold shower during headaches. Cold shower can constrict the dilated blood vessels and can bring fast relief. Even washing your face with cold water is also helpful.
Have small and frequent meals in order to stabilize the blood sugar levels. Drink plenty of water in order to avoid dehydration. You can sip water slowly in case of migraine attack.
Have small naps during the daytime. This can help you in avoiding fatigue.
Relax your body. Avoid stress and strain. You can try out certain stress buster techniques like meditation, breathing exercise and yoga postures.
Consult the doctor if you need medication for migraine.

Though the exact cause is not known, this generally occurs due to changes in the blood supply of the brain. Sometimes even changes in hormones during pregnancy can also cause headache. The levels of hormones especially estrogen and Human chorionic Gonadotropin rise dramatically during early pregnancy. These hormones can contribute to headache during the early stage. If you suffered from headache on birth control pills, then you may experience headache during first few months of pregnancy. You may also suffer from other symptoms like nausea or sensitivity to light or loud noises accompanied with migraine.

If headache continues in second and third trimester, then it may be a case of preeclampsia. Pre eclampsia is a serious pregnancy related syndrome that is characterized by presence of protein in the urine, high blood pressure and edema. You need to consult the doctor immediately regarding preeclampsia.

You need to call the doctor if:

You are still suffering from head ache in the second or third trimester.
You have such severe pain that it is affecting your sleep.
You also have fever and stiff neck.
Your headache is getting painful and affecting your vision, speech and balance.
You develop headache after a fall or head injury.

Submitted on January 16, 2014