Headache at pregnancy

The headache at pregnancy arises quite often. Most often it torments future mother in the first and third trimesters, but sometimes happens also throughout the entire period of pregnancy.

Before trying to kill independently a headache at pregnancy, it is necessary to estimate localization and the nature of pain, its duration, and also to find out the circumstances promoting emergence of an attack. The headache reasons at pregnancy can be the most various and sometimes to establish them very difficult, but to here find out what factors provoke it and to try to eliminate them quite perhaps.

Headaches at pregnancy: reasons

At pregnant women headaches quite often arise owing to a neurologic disease – migraine. In this case they have the pulsing character and are localized only in one half of the head. At a heavy attack nausea, vomiting, and also vision disorders can join them. The following factors can provoke development of an attack of migraine:

• Food – the use of a citrus, bitter chocolate, cheese;
• Physical – overfatigue, a sleep debt, pungent smells, noise, flickering light;
• Climatic – sharp change of weather conditions;
• Stress.

The head muscle tension is other reason of a headache at pregnancy. Similar pain covers everything the head and has average intensity. Women note that it is painful to them to touch hair, they quite often have a feeling that the head as if is pulled together with a hard hoop. Such headache at pregnancy quite often arises at long finding of the woman in situation, inconvenient for it (for example, during the work at the computer), physical and mental overfatigue.

Rather severe headache at pregnancy results also from the arterial pressure lowered (hypotonia) or increased (hypertension). Hypotonia is usually characteristic of the first trimester of pregnancy, especially if it is followed by the phenomena of early toxicosis. The hypertension can arise in the second half of pregnancy and is a gestosis symptom – late toxicosis. The severe headache at pregnancy in the third trimester quite often is a sign of development of a preeclampsia – life-threatening the woman and a fruit of the complication of pregnancy demanding urgent delivery of health care in the conditions of intensive care unit and an intensive care.

Vegeto-vascular dystonia, hormonal changes and cervical osteochondrosis are other reasons of a headache at pregnancy.

Besides, hormonal changes, vegeto-vascular dystonia, cervical osteochondrosis can be the cause of a headache at future mother.

Headaches at pregnancy: treatment and prevention

Headaches at pregnancy as we already spoke, arise at many women. Their treatment has to be appointed only by the doctor since not all medicines are safe for fetation.

In most cases development of a headache at pregnancy can be prevented by means of simple methods:

• Observe a day regimen and do not overtire;
• Adhere to a balanced diet;
• Avoid noisy and stuffy places;
• Use enough mineral water that will allow you to avoid deficit of mineral substances and liquid;
• During the sedentary work each hour do small breaks during which it is necessary to carry out the simple gymnastic exercises allowing to remove excessive tension from muscles of the head, a neck and a shoulder girdle;
• As often as possible make walks in the fresh air and regularly air the room.

Quite often it is possible to kill a headache at pregnancy and without use of medicines. Accept the most convenient for you position of a body and try to fall asleep. The room has to be darkened and well aired. After even a dream, small on the duration, the headache usually passes independently.

At tension headache light massage of head skin and neck well helps. At migraine to many pregnant women the cold compress imposed on frontal or temporal areas of the head gives relief.

If the headache at pregnancy is caused by hypotonia, then for a raising of arterial pressure it is necessary to drink a glass of hot sweet strong tea.

When you are not helped by these methods or the headache arises often, it is necessary to see a doctor who will appoint treatment of a headache at pregnancy taking into account the reason causing it.

Headache at pregnancy: when it is necessary to see a doctor urgently?

There are certain situations when the woman with a headache at pregnancy has to see a doctor surely. Treat them:

• Character of a painful attack changes or pains become almost constant;
• The headache arises in the morning, right after a night dream;
• The headache arises against the background of arterial hypotonia or a hypertension;
• Pain has accurate localization.

The severe headache at pregnancy, especially if it is combined with nausea, vomiting, vision disorders or hearing, skin sensitivity and/or motive functions demands immediate delivery of the pregnant woman in a maternity home where timely and full medical care can be provided to it!