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Pregnancy is a period when the woman’s body undergoes several transformations. And this often ends up being reflected in some not-so-common symptoms, such as headaches in pregnancy. Many women wonder if pregnancy gives a headache or if too much headache in pregnancy is normal. But if on the one hand these pains are a matter of great concern, on the other hand, they can be explained and treated calmly. We will explain today what are the types of headaches that can arise in pregnancy, why they can arise and in what ways they can affect you. If you want to know more about the subject, read the text to the end and check it out!
Is it normal to have a headache during pregnancy?
When a woman becomes pregnant, her body undergoes the most diverse types of transformation. Among them, hormones are especially strong and with visible effects. Headaches in pregnancy are often the result of a true hormone infestation that occurs mainly during the first few weeks.
Therefore, we can conclude that yes, it is normal to have a headache during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester . But that does not mean that it should not be treated or even ignored. What you have to do, in addition to understanding the reason for these pains, is to know what type of treatment is right for you and that will not harm your baby. For this, consultation with a specialist doctor is essential. If you also suffer from a headache in early pregnancy, it is also important to understand what the pain is. This way, the treatment is also indicated more easily by your doctor.
Types of headache
There is a common sense thinking that headaches are one and the same, but at the same time that there are several causes for them to occur, there are also different types of headaches, which affect you in different ways and require different treatments. Let’s talk about each one, show what their differences are and how they affect a pregnant woman. These types are:
- Migraine
- Tension Headache
Migraine
This is a type of headache that occurs mainly in first-time mothers. That’s because there is a large manifestation of hormones, especially in early pregnancy, which can make your body react in different ways. And migraine is one of them. This is a type of headache at the height of the forehead and on the side of the head , usually only on one side. Migraines can also be accompanied by nausea and even vomiting, depending on the severity. In addition, women with migraines may be more sensitive to light and certain smells.
It is also worth mentioning that, in some cases, migraine may be related to pre-eclampsia, a circulatory disease that may present a certain risk for pregnancy. For this reason, when a pregnant woman is diagnosed with migraine, it is important to investigate the exact causes .
Tension Headache
Tension headache is another very common type of headache in pregnancy that can be related to several causes. One that many people don’t even imagine is the lack of caffeine . What happens is that many women leave this substance aside when they get pregnant and the body ends up wondering about it, which causes headache. This is not a cause for concern, since the body ends up getting used to it relatively quickly and tension headache tends to decrease.
This type of headache can also have other origins , such as stress, tiredness, dehydration or even nasal congestion. This type of pain differs from migraine because it usually affects both sides of the head and is not accompanied by other symptoms such as nausea and nausea.
Although they are less common, there are also other types of headaches that pregnant women can have, such as food headache and sinus headache. They are usually associated with a problem prior to pregnancy and therefore are not directly related to that phase of a woman’s life, even though they may affect her in the same way.
How to Relieve Headache in Pregnancy?
First of all, it is important for you to know that these most common headaches in pregnancy also have phases, which means that they often relieve themselves. Usually, the first quarter is when they are most intense. From the second trimester on, it is more common for the body to get used to it and for it to decrease considerably. Still, it is important to know what are the necessary attitudes to relieve these pains and not to let them be a torment.
Medicines in general are not recommended for pregnant women . And it is important not to ingest on your own even those who have no contraindications in cases of pregnancy, as even they can cause you an adverse and unpredictable effect. The most recommended is that you take some precautions that can help a lot in relief, such as:
- Sleep well – This is a way to ensure that your body will be more willing during the day, which decreases the chance that you will have more severe pain.
- Avoid very fatty foods – This type of food can make your body weigh and increase your headache, especially for women who have migraines.
- Exercise – The practice of specific physical activities for pregnant women is great not only to relieve pain, but also to prevent it from occurring. In addition to ensuring several other benefits for your body, exercise also helps to relieve tension.
In addition to all these habits that must be adopted by pregnant women, it is also important to talk to your doctor about headaches and listen to what he has to say. This is how you can guarantee that your pains will not affect your pregnancy in any way.
Can Headache in Pregnancy Affect the Baby?
In order for this question to be answered, it is important to analyze what type of headache you have. And for that, nothing better than to consult your doctor and do all the necessary exams. Tension headache, despite being quite uncomfortable, does not usually affect the baby in any way and its treatments should be done focusing mainly on symptom relief so that you have a more peaceful day to day.
When we talk about migraine, it can present some dangers for the baby, due to the risk of being related to pre-eclampsia. Some of the complications that this type of disease can bring are premature birth, in addition to cardiovascular diseases in the mother. It is worth mentioning here that migraines are often the result of hormonal variation in women and, in these cases, do not present great risks for the baby.
When you understand what types of headache are there, why the headache in pregnancy occurs and how treatment can be done, you also end up calming down. It is natural that several doubts about your health and that of the baby arise and, with them, the concern. However, the most important thing is to research the subject , whenever possible, talk to your doctor to make sure that everything is fine with your pregnancy. In most cases, these headaches are just scares that can be treated easily.
My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.
Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.
