Migraine in pregnancy
Abstract
Migraine is a predominantly female disorder. Evidence suggests that migraine activity is influenced by hormonal factors, and particularly by estrogen levels and fluctuations. During pregnancy, estrogen may reach one hundred times the normal level, whilst progesterone levels decrease, rising again towards the end of the pregnancy; however, hormonal fluctuations are not as pronounced as during the non-pregnant state[1]. Most women with migraine report an improvement of their attacks during pregnancy, from the first to the third trimestre, particularly women with a history of menstrual migraine and with migraine without aura[2]. This improvement may be due to the lack of hormonal fluctuations but also to the increased levels of natural pain-killing hormones (endorphins) induced by pregnancy[1, 3]. If no improvement is seen toward the end of the first trimestre, migraine is likely to continue throughout pregnancy and postpartum. Most women with migraine improving in pregnancy will experience attack recurrence shortly after delivery, likely in the first weeks[2]. This decline might be due to the precipitous drop in estradiol and endorphin levels occurring in the postpartum period[1, 3]. A small number of pregnant women experience a worsening of their migraine while a few others may even develop de novo migraine symptoms. In this context, migraine usually occurs during the first trimestre and is most often with aura[2]. Women continuing to experience migraine attacks throughout…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Bioactive Molecules Released in Food by Lactic Acid Bacteria: Encrypted Peptides and Biogenic Amines
- A central role for amyloid fibrin microclots in long COVID/PASC: origins and therapeutic implications
- Bioaccessibility and bioavailability of phenolic compounds
- The Glutamate Hypothesis in ALS: Pathophysiology and Drug Development
- Therapeutic Approaches to Genetic Ion Channelopathies and Perspectives in Drug Discovery
- Effects of the Mediterranean Diet on the Components of Metabolic Syndrome Concerning the Cardiometabolic Risk
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.