Headaches and Pregnancy

By Petra Vollavic

Experiencing headaches is one of a few side effects of being pregnant. Let's look into how this effects you and your baby.

The increase in frequency of headaches while pregnant is considered to be due to additional blood flow and changes to your hormones. Other factors, such as increased in stress levels and excess caffeine, also contribute.

Approximately 20% of women will experience headaches while being pregnant and most find that they occur less in the last few months. Although they can worsen after the baby is born.

Cold packs, soothing, sleep and darkened rooms are all methods of treatment for headaches, without taking drugs.

Headaches caused by tension can be alleviated by using cold compresses to aches along the back of your neck. You can also alleviate headaches by ensuring you have a balanced, healthy diet and having several small meals in a day.

When sinus headaches occur, warm compresses have be known to help. Apply these to to your temples, forehead and either side of your nose as these are the areas occupied by your sinuses.

You can do exercises to help you reduce stress, like imagining you are in a tranquil place. You can experiment with different methods to try to reduce your stress levels but if these do not work you can get in touch with your doctor or a therapist as it can be helpful to have someone to talk to.

It is better not to take any medication, unless prescribed by your doctor, although acetaminophen is considered safe to take while pregnant.

Talk to your doctor before taking pain relievers, even if you have taken over the counter medicines such as ibuprofen or aspirin for pain before you were pregnant. Acetaminophen is usually safe during pregnancy, but again, it is best not to use medications unless your doctor has prescribed them. - 32503

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