Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder, the main symptoms of which are localized recurrent headaches, moderate or severe. Globally, migraine affects 10% of people, the vast majority of whom are women.
Migraine pain occurs, usually on one side of the head, has a pulsating character, often accompanied by dizziness, nausea, vomiting, chills, and general weakness. There is an increased susceptibility to light, odors, and loud sounds. As a rule, before the phase of severe headaches, the aura phase begins, during which there is a violation of the visual, gustatory, auditory, tactile perception of everything around.
Migraine during pregnancy has its own characteristics and requires special treatment. Let’s consider the question in more detail.
Causes of migraine
Usually, frequent headaches torment a pregnant woman in the first trimester, when there is an active restructuring of the hormonal background. In the second and third trimester, by contrast, migraine attacks can either significantly decrease or disappear altogether. But this does not mean at all that you need to forget about the precautions and factors that provoke the occurrence of severe headaches.
What can cause the onset of a migraine attack in a pregnant woman? First of all, these are, of course, such factors:
·Stress
Lack of sleep
·Fatigue
Change of weather
·Tobacco smoke
·Alcohol
In addition, some food products, which include substances that promote the expansion of the walls of blood vessels , can provoke another migraine attack during pregnancy (and not only). These include:
Chocolate and coffee
Hard varieties of cheese
·Fish
Some fruits (papaya, banana, citrus, avocado, etc.)
·Peanut
Products containing the sugar substitute asparam
Foods in the preparation of which preservatives are used (smoked sausages and fish, canned vegetables and salads)
In order to prevent migraine attacks, it is recommended to exclude the above foods from the diet. It is also necessary to try to avoid conflict situations that can cause nervous overstrain, lead a healthy lifestyle and adhere to a well-planned daily routine, devoting enough time to rest and good sleep.
Features of the treatment of migraine during pregnancy
If, in the usual state, for the preventive treatment of migraine, the doctor prescribes drugs that help relieve pain and vasoconstriction, then migraine during pregnancy cannot be treated with standard methods. This is due to the fact that taking pharmacological drugs, even with a gentle action, may be unsafe for the fetus. Therefore, a woman should only take those medications that are prescribed by her doctor supervising the pregnancy.
The safest in this case is paracetamol. This drug has an excellent analgesic agent, helps to normalize blood and intracranial pressure, and has a mild sedative effect.
In addition to paracetamol, magnesium preparations are good at fighting migraines. Medicines quickly relieve any headache and are safe for expectant mothers.
It is recommended to resort to medical treatment of migraine during the period of bearing a child in extreme cases. It is much better to adhere to simple rules of behavior, to exclude from your life any factors that can provoke headaches, to observe a rest and diet regimen.
However, one should not forget that headaches can be a symptom of not only migraines, but other, much more serious diseases. Therefore, at the first alarming symptoms, it is necessary to urgently consult a doctor and tell him about the problems that torment you. Future mothers should not be afraid of an examination when diagnosing this neurological disorder, since no procedures hazardous to the child’s health will be carried out – for an accurate diagnosis, only a doctor’s examination and a simple anamnesis collection are necessary.