Pregnancy Signs & Symptoms, Week by Week Pregnancy Guide

It is common for pregnant women to be affected by different kinds of aches and pains, including pregnancy migraines.

The good news is that there are some things that you could do to make the pain better.

Even if you can’t stop the pain, you might find some ways to cope with the pain.

Causes of migraines during pregnancy

At this moment the specialists don’t really know what causes these headaches. It looks like the migraines have something to do with the changes in the nerve pathways, blood flow and neurochimicals in the brain. It is believed that the excited brain cells support a release of chemicals.

The chemicals released can lead to migraines when being pregnant because they irritate the blood vessels of the brain. As a result the blood vessels swell and become painful. The specialists think that estrogen may have a role to play in the appearance of migraines.

Triggers and the migraine diary

If you are suffering from migraines while being pregnant you should know that the hormone changes aren’t the only things that can trigger the pain. Usually women have a combination of different triggers like skipped meals, stress and lack of sleep. Some triggers might bother you one day and have no effect on the other.

Sometimes the migraines of pregnancy last for an hour or two but if they aren’t treated they may last for over a day. These pains are quite unpredictable. In some cases pregnancy can make the pain worse for women, but in case of lucky women the pain disappears entirely.

If you keep a diary of your pregnant women’s migraines, you will be able to track your triggers. This way your doctor will know what the best course of action is in your case. Also it is possible for you to recognize a pattern and the triggers you should avoid during your pregnancy.

What to do?

Every time you experience the migraines of pregnant women you should note the location of the pain, what it feels like and the other possible symptoms, like nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to smell, noise or light. Also write down the time the headache started and ended.

It is also a good idea to take notes of the food and beverages you had before the expectant mothers’ migraines started. Take notes of the treatments you tried as well and whether they helped or not. The most common triggers include caffeine, chocolate, foods with MSG, nitrates and aspartame.

Tests for the migraines of expectant mothers

It is possible for these headaches to lead to a complication known as preeclampsia. This is why your doctor will evaluate your health before he makes a diagnosis. It is important for you to tell your doctor about the medication you are taking (if you are taking any), as well as the supplements and over the counter products.

There is a lot to know about migraine and pregnancy and you should know that there are some home remedies that you could try.