Almost all women get headaches on occasion, but experiencing a headache during pregnancy is unpleasant and treating headaches is especially difficult during the first trimester when many medications should be avoided. There are some things you should know whether your headache is caused by tension or a full-blown migraine.
Causes of Teenage Pregnancy Headaches
Many expectant mothers suffer from headaches, particularly during the first and third trimesters. If you're pregnant, you may notice an increase in the frequency of your headaches around week 9 of your pregnancy.
Headaches in the early stages of pregnancy can be caused by an increase in the volume of blood your body produces, in addition to hormonal changes.
Here are some possible causes of headaches during pregnancy:
- Sleeping insufficiently
- Caffeine withdrawal symptoms (e.g. in coffee, tea, or cola drinks)
- Low blood sugar levels
- Dehydration
- Stressing out
- Improper posture, especially as your child grows
- Suffering from sadness or anxiety
Types of headaches
It is common to have headaches during pregnancy, as it is a primary headache that means the pain it causes by itself. It does not signify some other complication or disorder of pregnancy. These primary headaches include
- Tension headaches
- Migraine attacks
- Cluster headache
When to be concerned about the headache
At times when you found your symptoms or headache does not go away or become more severe day by day, even if you continue noticing dizziness, change in vision, or blurred vision, it means you have to contact immediately to your health provider for a quick solution to deal these symptoms and pain. As headache may be related to blood pressure problems during your gestation. A woman consistently notices the problem more than 20 weeks of pregnancy, then she needs to consult the doctor on an immediate basis as it could lead to major complications to her pregnancy. Although the chances of stroke during pregnancy are rare migraines have the capability to increase the risk for the same for pregnant women. Minor headache to major migraines during pregnancy can be a dangerous signal for further complications in pregnancy. Therefore, discuss each and every health-related change with your doctor till you give birth.
What can I do to avoid pregnancy headaches?
There are certain steps you can take to avoid headaches. Make an effort to:
- To avoid dehydration, drink at least eight glasses of liquids every day.
- Get enough sleep, eat a good, balanced diet, and rest and relax as much as you can.
- You could experiment with mindfulness or yoga.
- Avoid any known headache triggers, such as allergies and specific foods such as monosodium glutamate, cured meats, and strong cheeses.
- It is never a good idea to smoke during pregnancy. You should also avoid second-hand smoke.
- If you are prone to morning sickness, try to eat well and drink enough water.
- Reduce the amount of stress. For relief of tension headaches, try a massage or cold pack.
- If you have a migraine headache, consider resting in a cool, dark area with no noise and using warm or cold compresses or an ice pack.
Reference
- https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=headaches-in-early-pregnancy-134-3
- https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/related-conditions/common-symptoms/headaches/
- https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/headaches-during-pregnancy
- https://www.tommys.org/pregnancy-information/pregnancy-symptom-checker/headaches-pregnancy