Headaches during pregnancy

Many women get mild headaches when they are pregnant. Headaches are more common in the first few months of pregnancy.

Headaches (Opens in new tab) can be caused by changes in your hormones. They usually get better as your pregnancy progresses.

Headaches can happen for many different reasons — it's not always because of pregnancy hormones.

Does pregnancy cause migraines?

If you have migraines (Opens in new tab), you might notice a change when you're pregnant. Migraines are bad headaches on one side of your head. Other symptoms of migraines are feeling sick, vomiting and being sensitive to light or sound.

Up to 7 in 10 people who normally get migraines have an improvement during pregnancy. Usually, this happens in the second and third trimesters. This may be because your oestrogen (Opens in new tab) level starts to stabilise.

Up to 3 in 10 women don't notice any change in their migraines. And a small number of women may get worse migraines during pregnancy.

You might notice changes in your migraine symptoms during pregnancy. You might also notice changes in your migraines from one pregnancy to the next.

You should talk about migraine treatment with your doctor when you're planning a pregnancy.

Besides hormonal changes, there are many other things that can cause headaches, such as:

• dehydration (Opens in new tab) — from not drinking enough fluids
• not getting enough sleep
• eye strain (Opens in new tab) — so it can be useful to get your eyes checked
• dental problems
• infections — such as an ear infection (Opens in new tab) or the flu
• sinusitis (Opens in new tab)

Severe and serious headaches can be due to blood vessel disease, which can cause a brain aneurysm (Opens in new tab) or stroke (Opens in new tab).

Pre-eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia is a complication of pregnancy. It's when you have high blood pressure and swelling of your face, hands and feet. It can happen after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

It's very important to tell your doctor or midwife if:

• you start getting frequent headaches
• your headaches are very bad
• you have blurry vision (Opens in new tab) or other symptoms that affect your eyesight

These can both be a sign of pre-eclampsia.

There are treatments for headaches during pregnancy.

Self-care at home

If you have a headache, you can try:

• drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration
• having a nap, or resting with your eyes closed
• relaxing — perhaps try a pregnancy yoga class
• putting a cold or heat pack on your forehead or the back of your neck
• a brisk walk in fresh air

Medicines for headaches

If you need to take medicine for pain relief, paracetamol (Opens in new tab) is safe during pregnancy. You should try and take it for the shortest time possible.

Your doctor may prescribe codeine (Opens in new tab) for short term use if paracetamol doesn't work.

It's best not to take anti-inflammatory medicines such as ibuprofen (Opens in new tab) and aspirin (Opens in new tab) during pregnancy.

Always check with your doctor, pharmacist or midwife before you take medicines during pregnancy.

If you find you are getting mild headaches often, it's a good idea to try to:

• get more sleep
• drink plenty of water each day
• eat a balanced diet
• take a break from looking at a screen
• rest and relax as much as possible — try mindfulness (Opens in new tab) or going for a walk

How can I prevent migraines during pregnancy?

If you suffer from migraines, try to:

• keep a regular exercise routine
• avoid things that may trigger migraines for you — chocolate, preserved meat, aged cheese and stress

If you don't know what triggers your migraines, you may want to keep a headache diary. Learn more about headache diaries (Opens in new tab) at Migraine & Headache Australia.

For more information about medicines you can take during pregnancy, talk to your doctor or pharmacist (Opens in new tab).

Speak with your doctor or midwife if you have any concerns about pre-eclampsia.

To learn more about headaches and migraines, visit Migraine and Headache Australia (Opens in new tab).