Pregnancy causing daily headaches

[KarenDiane]

Hi! I'm 17 weeks pregnant and have had severe headaches off and on since the beginning. My midwife thinks it is hormonal and said "nothing but tylenol" for the pain. Well, tylenol doesn't do anything. And lately the pain has been bad enough to cause nausea and vomiting. Sometimes the headaches will last for several days. It's driving me crazy and I've had to stop working full-time because of it. This is baby #4 and I never had these headaches with the others. Any suggestions?

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
That's good to hear! Hopefully, your hormones are stabilizing and these headaches will go away. Fatigue or feeling tired is common during the first few months of pregnancy. But if it persists or other symptoms arise, inform your doctor about this. Take care always!

[KarenDiane]

Hi! No migraines so far this week. (knock on wood). Couple of small headaches, but I can deal with those. I've been tired and sleeping more than usual. Maybe that's helping? Thanks for asking.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Do you still experience those nasty headaches? Just checking on you and hope you feel better. Eat healthy and drink plenty of fluids. Regular prenatal check-up is highly recommended. Take care and do keep us posted.

[KarenDiane]

I've never heard of this, but I'm willing to try about anything. Thank you.

[hava]

This pranayam will help you relax and gradually work on the underlying cause of the headache. You will start to notice  the benefit in a few days.It is quite safe in pregnancy and you may continue this forever to stay well. Drink warm water.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 10 to 30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
It is good to know that your blood pressure is within normal limits. I hope that the headache tracker will be able to help. Hang on, relax and think positive. Read more on biofeedback therapy. Controlling your body and a positive outlook despite these symptoms also works wonders. When your pregnancy hormones stabilizes, this too will pass. Take care always.

[KarenDiane]

My blood pressure is good. Never above 120/70. I will try the headache tracker. Thank you.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How is your blood pressure? I just want to rule out hypertension during pregnancy as well. Try to relax and if possible, identify the triggers that may be responsible for your headache. This can be certain foods, weather, hunger, changes in altitude, etc. There is a headache tracker in Medhelp that may help.  Take care and hope to hear from you soon.

[KarenDiane]

Hello. My headaches are always on the right side of my head. I suffered migraines when I was a teenager, and they have always been on the right side. The headaches I have now are different because they seem to originate in the back of my head and wrap around the top to behind my eye. When I had migraines before, they were always on the side of my head. A lot of times I wake up with these headaches and they get worse throughout the day. Thank you for your quick response. My midwife had suggested accupuncture but it isn't covered by our insurance.

[Dr Santos]

In addition to this, if medications do not work, you can also consider complementary and alternative medicine such as biofeedback therapy, self-hypnosis, and other relaxation techniques to help manage your headaches. The National Institute of Health has been conducting studies regarding the effectiveness of these techniques and results showed that it has been beneficial to significant headache sufferers. I hope this helps. Best regards.

[Dr Santos]

Hi,
How are you? Can you describe the location or character of the headaches that you are experience? Headaches are indeed commonly associated with hormonal changes especially during pregnancy. If you did not experience this in your other pregnancies, this is because each pregnancy is different from each other. Often, the degree of variation has to do with the level of the pregnancy hormone in your body. Nausea and vomiting are often associated with migraine headaches. Try to rest, apply ice packs, identify other possible triggers to help manage this.  Paracetamol may help. However, it is also not recommended to take any medications during this time because not all are safe to take. If it persists, you may need to have this checked by your doctor for proper management. Take care and do keep us posted.