Migraines early pregnancy

[Blue2020]

Hi, has anyone had daily migraines in early pregnancy? Also did it all turn out ok? I’m only 5 weeks. I’m slightly worried. They are fairly constant too, eg most of the day I feel a bit off with a dull ache. Then on rare occasions the aura migraine (I have had my eyesight checked before when I had this once or twice).

I have had two pregnancies before (mmc & ds) and they were identical in terms of symptoms. Neither included migraines.

With my first I had severe migraines until about 14 weeks and then they just disappeared, it’s really rough but it should end! I found those cooling gel strips helped.

Thankyou, have you had any pregnancies since and you didn’t have migraines in them?

I’m wondering why I didn’t the first two times and now I am this time. I know pregnancies can be different, I just thought I knew what was going to happen the third time around (eg nausea, sickness etc). Migraines were not on the list. This pregnancy is even the same time of year as the last.

Yeah I’m 15 weeks currently and haven’t suffered at all with migraines, completely different symptoms this time around!

That’s great to hear. Thankyou. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy.

I'd never had a migraine before, then in my 2nd and 3rd pregnancies had migraine with aura that gave me stroke symptoms...v scary! But it stopped when I got into the 2nd trimester x

I never got migraines with my 2 girls! But the baby I lost in July I had thumping migraines every day with 😢

I had them. Very very hard. I don't remember them persisting past the first trimester.

I had terrible migraines in the first trimester with my only child, stroke-like symptoms. I was prescribed strong painkillers - cocodamol ot coproxamol - and my baby was born healthy. I had always had migraines but pregnancy hugely increased them.

It helps to hear that you have been through it where it’s a new symptom of a subsequent pregnancy. I was starting to wonder if something was wrong because I thought I understood my body during pregnancy now.

Sorry for your loss, I hope you are doing ok.

@Refugenewbie @Rowanwand its good to hear they only lasted for the first trimester for you both.

I am trying to drink more water and reduce my screen time at work to see if anything helps. I have a feeling it’s hormonal though.

Definitely mention at next midwife appointment

Have you been tested for gestational diabetes?

I am only 5 weeks along so very very early. I don’t see the midwife until 9 weeks.

Not sure on what medicines you can take medicines during pregnancy but I have a couple of non-medicinal interventions I rely on a lot.

Kool N Soothe gel patches on your forehead are fab.

And rub White Tiger Balm anywhere is hurts. Except your eyes. Forehead, temple, jaw, neck - it’s all good. You need to keep putting it on until you can feel the menthol start penetrating. The worse the migraine the more you need.

Gulp down a can of fizzy as quickly as you can. It has to be quick not drunk at normal speed.

A pinch of salt in your drinking water.

If you can take Ibuprofen, Ibuprofen Lysine is the absolute best.

Eat within 45 minutes of waking up.

Sometimes doing a chewing movement with your mouth will ease the pressure.

If you need to lay down, lay pain side to the pillow. Again it sort of eases the pressure in the migraine temple.

Sounds odd, but squeeze both temples with the balls of your hands for as long as you can.

Instick your tongue from the roof of your mouth and let your jaw relax. Do this 100s of times a day if you need to.

Hormonal migraines are shitty and really resistant to treatment but some of these might help. They may sound odd but these are tried and tested by me and by others in some of the online migraine support groups I’m in.

@StormingNorman thankyou, I will try some of these. I will need to avoid fizzy pop, for some reason (maybe the caffiene or sugar) it tends to cause a different type of headache. The rest I haven’t tried before.

I've always suffered from bad headaches/migraines usually around time of my periods, but during my 1st pregnancy they disappeared. Never had one headache. However, I'm 29 weeks now & when I was 6 weeks I had a very bad episode where my face went numb & arm was tingly, i couldn't see properly then had a whopper sore head/neck afterwards & felt very nauseous. I was very worried incase it was the start of a stroke or something, so I went to A&E, they advised me that everything was OK, checked bloods etc, & advised me that if they continued I could be prescribed Sumatriptan to help stop the migraine from happening. They put it down to major hormonal changes going on. I haven't had one since then, thankfully, but I think if you are getting bad headaches as your pregnancy progresses on definitely get it checked out as it can be related to pre eclampsia. Hope u get sorted x

@Lh5956 yes I had preeclampsia in my first pregnancy, so I’m already weary that it might happen again. Oddly enough I didn’t get a headache with the preeclampsia from 30-35 weeks. I’m sure if it had continued it might have, they caught it early and intervened the day it got worse.

Yes I had migraines with 1st pregnancy (healthy girl), and with a loss. I think hormones can trigger them in some people. (Me being one) and hormones fluctuate an awful lot. My first pregnancy was plagued with them and I had really high hcg levels along with hyperemesis, my Little boy recently born had quite low levels hcg (they initially thought that would be a loss, but hes very well) and didnt have any migraines with him, so maybe that's the cause of them 😅 so I don't think they are necessarily an indicator of anything being wrong, just another way our bodies react to the changes.

I had preeclampsia first pregnancy, I didn't get it again with my boy. I did take asprin from 12 weeks though second pregnancy :)

I had migraines with my boys but not so much with my girl. They cleared by the second trimester but they were a total drag. I really feel for you! It does get better.

It’s good to hear that you didn’t get it with your next pregnancy. Hopefully it doesn’t appear this time for me.