does pregnancy cause headaches
During pregnancy, women can experience a range of symptoms. Headaches, particularly in the first and third trimester, are a common symptom during pregnancy. Hormones play a role in headaches. During pregnancy, levels of the hormone estrogen rise. The elevated estrogen can help relieve head pain some people who suffer from regular headaches. In others, the additional hormones and other changes can cause headaches during pregnancy. Most studies show that women who suffer from severe migraines find relief while pregnant. A 2002 Canadian study of 1,101 pregnant women, just 36 of them experienced headaches for the first time.
Itâs fairly normal to get headaches when youâre pregnant, especially in the first trimester (NHS Choices 2015). Headaches in pregnancy tend to be either tension-type headaches or migraines (Bothamley and Boyle 2009, MacGregor 2012). Tension headaches won't affect your baby (MacGregor 2012, NHS Choices 2015). Your baby won't be harmed while you're having a migraine either. However, getting migraines during pregnancy is linked with an increased risk of high blood pressure and pre-eclampsia (MacGregor 2012, NICE 2014).