Headaches In Pregnancy Could 'Mask' Serious Underlying Health Problems, Expert Warns

Most headaches in pregnant women are caused by tension or migraines

• A small percentage are caused by life-threatening neurological conditions
• These include blood clots and a pressure build-up within the skull

Headaches in pregnancy can mask underlying conditions, experts warn

Experts have today warned that headaches in pregnant women could be 'masking' serious underlying health conditions.

Kirsty Revell, a specialist registrar in obstetrics and gynaecology at the Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton, said 90 per cent of headaches experienced by mothers-to-be were the result of migraine or tension.

She said these usually improved during the last six months of pregnancy.

But a small percentage were caused by potentially life-threatening neurological conditions - the third most common cause of death among pregnant women.

In a review published in the journal The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG), Dr Revell looked at common causes of headaches during pregnancy and the postnatal period, the conditions associated with them and how GPs, midwives and obstetricians should manage care.

She said: ‘Headaches are common in life and some women find they suffer a lot during pregnancy, but most are benign, for example migraine or tension headaches, and will not harm mother or baby but will just be unpleasant.

‘However, some headache types can be more dangerous and an indication that something is seriously wrong and it is vital GPs, obstetricians and midwives are aware of the signs and symptoms associated with these conditions and know when to seek advice from a specialist.’

Dr Revell, who co-authored the review with Dr Paul Morrish, a consultant neurologist in Gloucestershire, said the common occurrence of headaches during pregnancy could mask dangerous conditions.

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These include cerebral venous thrombosis - a blood clot in the sinuses of the brain - or pressure build-up in the skull, known as idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which is more likely to occur in obese women of child-bearing age.

She also warned that women who experience migraines have a two-fold increased risk of developing pre-eclampsia.

Headaches in pregnancy could actually be a sign of a blood clot or increased pressure within the skull