Pregnancy Migraine
A pregnancy migraine does not hurt a baby but it can be harder for the mother to care for the migraine due to the possibility of migraine treatments hurting the fetus. A migraine shouldn’t be confused with a headache because although the two are similar, there are distinctive subtle differences. A migraine occurs when blood vessels in the brain become swollen. Due to all of the alterations a female’s body endures due to pregnancy, the migraine experience maybe very different from when a woman is not pregnant.
Enduring your very first migraine as a pregnancy migraine can be a very terrifying experience. With all the chemical changes going on in a pregnant woman’s body, it is very possible to have a migraine even if you have never felt one before which can trigger anxiety that something is wrong with the baby. A migraine begins as a blunt ache and then spreads to the back of your skull, the front of your head or around your temple as a steady aching pain. Symptoms that some people also experience are unsettled stomach and vision problems such as seeing auras around lights, spots or tunnel vision.
Women diagnosed with migraines who get pregnant typically experience either a decrease, and sometimes an increase, in migraines. The shift in frequency can be attributed to the hormonal shifts that come with pregnancy. As many migraine sufferers realize, modest differences can activate a migraine and a change in the chemicals coursing through the body could either block migraines or cause a pregnancy migraine.
Understanding your migraine triggers is the most important aspect of migraine management. Foods like cheese and chocolate, (and naturally caffeine and red wine, but these are products you should be averting if pregnant) often times set off migraines. Others are affected be stress or abrupt changes in the weather. Also sudden amounts of of sugar or not getting enough liquids can be migraine triggers.
Always inform a health practitioner about your migraines, particularly if the nature of the migraines have changed or if your first migraine ever occurred once pregnant. Review what kinds of pain killers are safe to take if pregnant; most doctors agree that acetaminophen (found in Tylenol) is safest when pregnant. Migraines don’t harm your baby, but if you have misread the symptoms and are actually enduring another health condition, then you and your baby may be in jeopardy. If you have a migraine that goes on for several days, you have fuzzy vision or experience a fever, then you may be suffering from something more serious.
Following are some remedies you can use to relieve the severity of a migraine in action. Cool down your forehead with a cold wet washcloth or take a cool shower or bath. Lie down in a calm, dark cool room for a couple of minutes to unwind. A workout can help increase blood flow to other parts of the body and lessen the inflammation in your brain’s blood vessels, a raised heart rate also releases hormones that can alleviate migraines.
A pregnancy migraine can be a bothersome ordeal but is generally harmless beyond the anguish it causes the woman. Most pregnant women who are migraine sufferers have fewer migraines, though a few have increased migraine symptoms. The general rule with a migraine is that the sooner you act to stop one, the less severe it will be and you will have fewer migraines in the near future. In addition, determine what sets off your migraines and make an effort to steer clear of these triggers.