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Home › Articles › Health and Physical Changes › Headaches during Pregnancy

Headaches during Pregnancy

When Pulsing Pain Leaves You Frazzled

By Laura Cone

Pages:  1  2  3  4  

Jennifer Klemp of Land O' Lakes, Fla., had numerous headaches when she was pregnant with her first son, Lucas. Now she lets her 2-year-old son comfort her by patting her on the back when she feels nauseated and frazzled by headaches so common during the first trimester. Klemp is expecting her second child soon.

"I had more headaches with Lucas than I did with this one," says Klemp, who has been in the hospital twice for extreme vomiting. "I started getting headaches right away with the first pregnancy. They were tension headaches across the forehead. They get so bad they feel like migraines." When she feels a headache coming on, Klemp lies down to rest. "Getting hungry and not eating brings on headaches," she says. "My hormone levels are going down and I'm starting to feel better."

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Dr. Dawn Marcus, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh, says women tend to have more headaches during their pregnancies because of high estrogen levels. Their blood vessels are more likely to constrict, and their joints are more flexible due to the increase in estrogen, which increases the odds of getting a headache.

"Ideally, women should talk to their doctor to plan headache treatment strategies before planning a pregnancy," Dr. Marcus says. "This allows time to receive instruction in effective non-medication techniques, such as relaxation and biofeedback, and change medications to regimens that are safe for the baby." She says pregnant women should avoid using headache relief medications too frequently or they may develop rebound headaches. According to Dr. Marcus, two recent studies in Denmark and California linked nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen, naproxen and aspirin with a higher risk for miscarriage.

Experts say a few of the most common causes of headaches during pregnancy include:

  1. Blood Sugar Fluctuations: Your body is trying to supply your baby with glucose, which may cause your own blood-sugar levels to fluctuate.

    Solution: Eat regular meals, and include at least a small amount of protein, such as a glass of milk, at every meal.


    2. Pages:  1  2  3  4  

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