Pregnancy and headaches is the most mentioned combination in pregnancy related information. This is because this is a really common complaint of pregnant women.
Although they could occur during the entire pregnancy, most probably you have to face them during the 1st and 3rd trimesters.
The causes of headaches when being pregnant
It is said that women are affected by headaches in the first trimester because of the pregnancy hormones that they have and because there is an elevated blood volume in their body. The pain that you feel could be made worse by poor posture, stress or vision problems.
There are some other causes as well that could lead you to headaches when being pregnant such as not getting enough sleep, low blood sugar levels, dehydration, or withdrawal of caffeine.
In case you had migraines in the past you may see that you will have fewer headaches than before. Nonetheless it is also possible to have the same pain as before regarding pregnancy and headaches.
When being pregnant you should be talking to your doctor about the medication that you are allowed to take to make the pain better.
In the majority of the cases if you experience the pain in the third trimester then you should blame poor posture and the stress of having extra weight, all leading to headaches when being pregnant.
There is also another possible cause of the headaches known as preeclampsia referring to high blood pressure in this period.
How to treat pregnancy and headaches?
The best thing you could do about headaches is avoiding them. To do so there are some tips that you should keep in mind, such as adopting a good posture, relaxing and having as much rest as possible, having a healthy nutrition, exercise, and applying packs on your head.
In case you can’t avoid them, you could treat headaches when being pregnant, but first you should try using the natural ways. Usually the medications like ibuprofen and aspirin aren’t advisable to be used. Instead you could be using acetaminophen.
When being faced with pregnancy and headaches you could try applying warm compresses around the nose and eyes, in case you have a sinus headache, and place a cold compress on the back of your neck in case of a tension headache. In order to avoid the headaches, you should eat more often, but have smaller meals. In order to treat the headaches when being pregnant you could receive a massage. Focus on the shoulders and the neck to make the pain better.
When you are resting, darken the room and take deep breaths. Warm showers and baths could also help with your problem. The best way to treat pregnancy and headaches is to have warm or cold compresses at the sides of your head, on the neck, or on the eyes.
Also try to avoid the triggers that could include alcohol, chocolate, aged cheese, yogurt, breads with yeast, peanuts, sour cream and preserved meats. There could be some other triggers too.
