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Headaches during Pregnancy

When Pulsing Pain Leaves You Frazzled

By Laura Cone

Dr. Morris Papernik, an associate professor of medicine at Rush Medical College in Chicago, says headaches may often simply be annoying or may be the body's way of giving a warning when there is a major problem such as aneurysm. "When a physician looks at a patient coming in with a headache we divide headaches into two types," says Dr. Papernik. "One is a primary headache, which are benign headaches such as migraines and tension headaches, versus secondary headaches, which are headaches which are potentially malignant such as brain tumors [and] aneurysms. We have to, as physicians, ask certain questions and figure out what the patient has. If we are satisfied with their screening exams and say this is a primary or benign headache, we look at what could be causing the headaches the patient is complaining about."

Dr. Papernik says estrogen levels in a state of fluctuation cause most migraine headaches. "The biggest problem is to find something you can take when you are pregnant and having a headache," he says. "If you are dealing with sinus headaches, they can get by with Tylenol or antibiotics. If you are dealing with tension headaches, we tend not to use any medications. Most of the medications you would use would have a negative effect on the fetus."

Because migraines for some people are triggered by secondhand smoke or noises, he advises staying away from whatever triggers your migraines. "Patients who have migraines like consistency," Dr. Papernik says. "Patients who have migraines should eat at the same time every day, go to bed at the same time every day, wake up at the same time every day, do the same things every day. Routine is very important to prevent migraine headaches. The best advice for the pregnant woman with migraines is to try to maintain a consistency in their daily activities."

Want to see more?

• Trimester Talk: What Questions to Ask Your Doctor and When to Ask Them
• Coffee, Cola and Other Questionable Quenchers: Should You Cave in to Your Cravings?
• A Major Pain: Migraine Headaches and Pregnancy
• Talk about it!