Pregnancy Headaches
Sandra Kim Leong
Among the many side effects that come with pregnancy, headaches are of
one of the more unpleasant for many women. Women normally experience
pregnancy headaches during their first and last trimesters.
Pregnancy headaches are mainly due to the factors such as increased
blood volume, hormonal changes and the initial stresses in the first
three months. But usually poor posture is the main cause of pregnancy
headaches in the final three months. Poor posture can usually result in
pressure on the parts of the body and these discomforts are
communicated with the brain and leads to pregnancy headaches
On the other hand, there are some migraineurs who report experiencing
fewer pregnancy headaches. The hormones such as estrogen and
progesterone in women mainly regulate the pregnancy and menstrual
cycle.
These hormones also affect the chemicals in the brain that are related
with the pregnancy headache. As the level of estrogen increases or
decreases in the blood, the level of serotonin also changes
accordingly. Serotonin is one of the brain chemicals, which helps to
regulate the pain messages. The pregnancy headache improves when the
estrogen level is high and headache become worse when the estrogen
level is low. Estrogen level tends to increase rapidly and remains high
throughout the pregnancy period. In this case, the pregnancy headaches
improve or disappear.
Estrogen levels can be stabilized with the lactation. Lactation also
increases the levels of other hormones that are related with the
sensitivity of pain. The pregnant women need to be cautious about the
headache medications during the breast feeding.
Most of the pregnancy headaches are occurring from causes that are not
dangerous to the health. But the patient needs to consult the physician
if the headaches get frequent or the patient experience swelling of the
hands or face.
Sometimes, pregnancy headaches can also become a symptom for any other
serious problem. Headache might be a sign of severe preeclampsia in the
second or third trimester of pregnancy. Preeclampsia is one of the
serious pregnancy-induced syndromes including protein in the urine,
high blood pressure, and other changes. If the pregnancy headache
occurs due to tension, the patients feels like compressing pain on the
back of the neck or on both sides of the head.
Usually pregnancy headache disappears during the second trimester. This
is due to the stabilization of the flood of hormones and the adaptation
of body with the altered chemistry. At the first and last trimesters,
pregnant women need to take some precautions to avoid such headaches.
They need to consult their health care provider if the headache is
sudden, explosive and includes a violent pain, which awakens from the
sleep.
Pregnancy headache, which occurs with fever, stiff neck, nasal
congestion, pain and pressure on the underneath of eyes, also needs
consultation with a physician. All these factors show that pregnancy
headaches need to be taken seriously than normal headaches.
Looking for a Natural Headache Remedy or Remedies for your splitting
headache? Get information on an arsenal of non-drug treatment options
here at Natural Headache Remedies. Also, get a free report at
http://www.NaturalHeadacheRemedies.com
Back To:
Pregnancy, Fertility & Birth Control
Women's Health & Women's Topics
Find More Free Natural Health Information
Choose Natural Health Site Map
