Migraines with aura are migraines with associated neurological symptoms including associated smells, visual changes, and isolated body weakness. These two types include migraines with aura and migraines without aura. Women who experience migraines often have one of two different types. Migraine headaches are diagnosed based on symptoms. It is thought that this spasming of the blood vessels is what results in migraine headaches. Subsequently, there is a dilitation of the arteries leading to the brain with a resultant increase in blood flow to the brain. The exact cause of migraine headaches is unclear, but the theory is that there is an initial constriction of the arteries to the brain resulting in a decrease in blood flow that results in some neurological symptoms. Migraine headaches are vascular headaches. Fifteen to twenty percent of pregnant women are affected by migraine headaches. Migraine headaches appear to be the most common severe headache in pregnancy. As many as 18% of women suffer from a migraine headache at some point in their lives. Ninety percent of headaches are classified as either tension or migraine headaches. Most mild pregnancy-related headaches abate or even resolve in the second trimester. While the exact cause of the headache is unclear and often cannot be elucidated, the majority of these headaches are relieved when treated symptomatically. Many women suffer from mild headaches early in pregnancy. Types of headaches include tension headaches, cluster headaches, migraine headaches, and sinus headaches, as well as those caused by eye disorders and severe neurological disease.

February 1, 2023.Many women suffer from headaches. Migraine associated with increased risk for pregnancy complications. However, “given the observational nature of our study, and the lack of detailed information on aspirin dosage available in the cohort, clinical trials will be needed to definitively answer this question,” Purdue-Smithe said in the press release.īrigham and Women’s Hospital. The study excluded women with chronic or severe migraine, and it was mainly non-Hispanic White individuals with higher socioeconomic status and health literacy.Ĭurrently, the US Preventative Services Task Force recommends low-dose aspirin for women with a high risk of preeclampsia or those with 1 moderate risk factor for preeclampsia during pregnancy. The study contains some limitations, such as the data were self-reported and only physician-diagnosed migraines were included. The Brigham team also observed that women with migraine who took regular aspirin prior to pregnancy had a 45% reduced risk of preterm delivery, “suggest that aspirin may be beneficial for women with migraine,” said Purdue-Smithe however, aspirin is not indicated to use among women with migraine during pregnancy. Aura was also found to be associated with a higher risk of preeclampsia. The data showed that pre-pregnancy migraine was associated with a 17% increased risk of preterm delivery and 40% higher rate of preeclampsia, along with an increased risk of gestational hypertension compared to patients without migraine. The team looked at a large cohort of 19,694 US nurses and 30,555 pregnancies, examining self-reported physician-diagnosed cases of migraine, aura phenotype, and self-reported pregnancy outcome. This prompted investigators at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, part of the Mass General Brigham health care system, to analyze data from the Nurses’ Health Study 2. Previous studies connected auras with risk of coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke in pregnant women, but there are still not many studies analyzing the risk of migraine and adverse pregnancy outcomes, nor risk of complications by aura phenotype. Our findings suggest that a history of migraine warrants consideration as an important risk factor for these complications and could be useful in flagging women who may benefit from enhanced monitoring during pregnancy,” said Alexandra Purdue-Smithe, PhD, first author, associate epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School, in a recent press release.Īpproximately 5.5% of those with migraine also experience auras, or visual disturbances prior to headache. “Preterm delivery and hypertensive disorders are some of the primary drivers of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Women who suffer migraine before pregnancy had a 40% higher rate of preeclampsia compared to those without migraine, but low-dose aspirin may be effective against the condition. Investigators discovered that a migraine diagnosis prior to pregnancy was linked with adverse outcomes during pregnancy, in a study recently published in the journal Neurology. Migraines affect up to 3 times as many women as men, especially among younger women aged 18 to 44 years, and during their reproductive years.

Migraine with aura pregnancy