Migraine in pregnancy and lactation: a clinical review
Abstract
OverviewMigraine affects mostly women during their reproductive years and is far more prevalent than many people realise.Within 1 year, over 15% of women and 6% of men have attacks of migraine with or without aura.1 Although migraine without aura accounts for the majority of migraine, particularly in women, the overall 1-year prevalence of migraine with aura is around 5% for women and 2% for men. 1 Migraine prevalence varies with age, rising through early adult life, peaking at age 30-40 years and then declining in the late 40s and after 50 years in both males and females. 1 Drug treatment is usually necessary for effective control of migraine hence many women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy will want to know what effects pregnancy will have on migraine and vice versa, and what treatments they can take safely during pregnancy and lactation. Search strategyA MEDLINE search using the search terms 'migraine' and 'pregnancy' identified 389 publications.The Cochrane search strategy for identifying reports of randomised controlled trials was run on this database.2 The search strategy identified 109 publications, which were scrutinised for relevancy to this review.In addition, references from the author's own files, a hand-search of the journals Cephalalgia and Headache, and peer-reviewed presentations at international congresses were also considered. Planning a pregnancyDrugs and other teratogens exert their greatest effects on the fetus in the first trimester, often…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
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.