More than 25% of women around the world experience migraine episodes in their lives. In their cases, fluctuations in hormones, especially estrogen levels ups and downs, can impact both their intensity and frequency of migraine attacks.
In most of the cases, this holds true for the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy. Well, in case you’re pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant very soon, there are certain things that you need to know.
According to David Dodick, professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic School of Medicine in Arizona, between 50 and 80 percent of migraine patients experience a significant reduction of migraine attacks during their pregnancy.
Well, many doctors have a common belief that the rise in the estrogen levels significantly helps reduce migraine attacks in those women.
A therapy that involves hormone replacement by mimicking the effects of pregnancy is becoming quite popular in reference to a migraine treatment plan. This therapy is significantly helpful for those women who experience migraine attacks close to their menstruation cycle.
Although no caution needs to be used, those women who have migraine with aura, the risk of stroke may significantly increase due to increased estrogen levels. During their pregnancy, some women experience migraine attacks for the first time in their lifetime, where some experience increased symptoms of migraine, typically as soon as the third trimester begins.
Well, not only the appearance but also the worsening of migraine in the cases of pregnant women must be taken seriously. Based on some studies, it was found that the symptoms of migraine, typically in coordination with by high BP (blood pressure), can significantly increase the risk of preeclampsia development or in other cases, some vascular complications too.
On the other hand, there are women who don’t experience decreased migraine symptoms during their pregnancy. These should be particularly vigilant. In a nutshell, it’s important that you work with your obstetrician and your headache doctor, too, typically when you have to establish a safe migraine treatment plan.
Generally, doctors advise every pregnant woman not to take medications when possible for them to avoid, though; two-thirds of women around the world still take medications during their pregnancy. About 50% of these women take medication during their first trimester.
Therefore, if you are pregnant or planning on getting pregnant very soon, you may want to reevaluate all the options of migraine treatment you currently have.
In the meanwhile, some experts advise doing the following:
1. Identify and try to avoid your triggers
You can start experimenting simply by avoiding certain foods, such as chocolate, processed foods, and caffeine to check if you experience any effects on your migraines.
2. Prioritize your sleep
Sleep is very important for the good health of your overall body. Plan your sleep and wake-up times and follow the routine religiously. You can start by practicing using a sleep mask and earplugs if required. Try to maintain good sleep hygiene.
3. Drink enough water
If you have been a migraine patient for long and visited the emergency room at least once in your life, then you must remember that the first thing they do is administer your intravenous saline to conquer dehydration.
When you are pregnant, your body needs water far more than when you are not. Typically in summer, you must keep drinking water and definitely consider adding electrolyte-rich supplements, viz. Pedialyte to your diet.
Migraine Medication and Pregnancy in relation
Do you know what migraine medications are safe when you take them during pregnancy?
The FDA (an acronym for Food and Drug Administration) sorts migraine-related treatments into several safety categories.
According to the FDA, both prescription and non-prescription drugs can be classified into several categories, based on potential birth defects that they can cause. This also means that you should look up the pregnancy safety of medications by the FDA, which is useful in terms of treating or preventing migraine attacks.
Conclusion!
No matter what treatment plan you are following, you need to consult with a doctor before you move forward with the treatment, whatsoever. In case you are expecting a child and are a migraine patient too, you must make an immediate appointment with your physician in order to discuss what the best course of action for you can be.
To read more on topics like this, check out the health category.
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