Managing headache during pregnancy and lactation

Assessing the efficacy of magnesium oxide and riboflavin as preventative treatment of migraines in pregnancy

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy of magnesium oxide (MgO) alone and, secondarily, MgO plus riboflavin as preventive treatment of migraines in pregnancy. We hypothesize that MgO alone will be effective for the majority of patients and, when clinically indicated, the addition of riboflavin will result in further benefit.

METHODS

This was a retrospective cohort study of pregnant patients treated for migraines between 2015 and 2020. We evaluated pre-/post-differences in the following primary outcomes: migraine frequency, severity, and duration. Secondary outcomes included associated migraine symptoms.

RESULTS

Of 203 total patients, 117 received MgO alone and 86 received MgO plus riboflavin. There were no significant differences in baseline demographics between the two groups. There was a statistically significant decrease in migraine frequency, severity, and duration in the groups receiving MgO alone and MgO plus riboflavin (p < 0.01 for all). In total, 154 patients reported migraine-associated symptoms, of which 119 (77%) improved after treatment, 18 (12%) did not improve, and 17 (11%) patients' data were missing. The MgO plus riboflavin group had a lower gestational age at treatment initiation and was more likely to receive treatment prior to pregnancy (p < 0.01). Significant differences were observed for several baseline migraine symptoms, including photophobia, phonophobia, nausea, and vomiting, which were more common in the group receiving MgO plus riboflavin (p < 0.05 for all).

CONCLUSION

Migraine frequency, severity, and duration all decreased with MgO alone and MgO plus riboflavin in this pregnancy cohort. Associated symptoms also significantly decreased for both groups.

Headache Characteristics and Their Influencing Factors Among Pregnant Women in Saudi Arabia: A Survey Study

Background Headache disorders, particularly migraines, significantly impact public health globally. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) report highlights migraines as the second leading cause of disability worldwide, especially among women under 50. Hormonal changes, particularly estrogen, play a role in primary headaches like migraines, and this connection becomes important during pregnancy due to physiological changes.  Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia to assess the characteristics of the headaches and explore their influencing factors. The study initiated the data collection process across various regions of Saudi Arabia from February 2023 to July 2023. Participants included pregnant women aged 18 or above residing in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected through an online self-administered survey with multiple-choice questions. Descriptive analysis and Pearson Chi-Square tests were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, USA). Results A study surveyed 411 pregnant women to investigate the characteristics of headaches during pregnancy. The majority of participants were Saudi nationals 381 (92.7%) and 242 (58.9%) aged 18-30 and 357 (86.9%) resided in urban areas. Around 72 (17.5%) reported having chronic diseases. Results showed that 246 (59.9%) of pregnant women were diagnosed with headaches before pregnancy, with migraines being the most common type by 145 (35.3%). Headache frequency increased during pregnancy for 171 (41.6%) of participants, and the majority 275 (66.9%) experienced headaches lasting 0-3 hours. Nausea 219 (53.3%) and holo-cranial pain 112 (27.3%) were common accompanying symptoms. Conclusion This study provides valuable insights into the burden of headaches among pregnant women in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the importance of improved healthcare practices and educational initiatives to effectively address this issue.

Migraine treatment in pregnancy: A survey of comfort and treatment practices of women's healthcare providers

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to assess women's healthcare providers' treatment practices for pregnant women with migraine.

BACKGROUND

Migraine is associated with several maternal and fetal complications during pregnancy, including preeclampsia and preterm birth. Migraine treatment during pregnancy can present significant challenges due to lack of controlled clinical trials and risks associated with specific medications.

METHODS

Women's healthcare providers were queried regarding practice patterns and comfort with use of acute and preventive migraine treatments during pregnancy. The survey was distributed online.

RESULTS

The survey was completed by 92 women's healthcare providers (response rate 22.9% [92/402]), with most specializing in general obstetrics and gynecology (91% [83/92]). Approximately one-fourth (26% [24/92]) of respondents indicated they counseled women on migraine treatment in pregnancy as early as before pregnancy contemplation, while over one-third (35% [32/92]) counseled on migraine treatment once the patient became pregnant. The majority of respondents reported feeling somewhat or very comfortable with recommending (63% [58/92]) or continuing (64% [59/92]) acute treatments for pregnant patients with migraine, with highest comfort levels for acetaminophen (100% [92/92] for prescribing or continuing) and caffeine (94% [85/90] prescribing, 91% [82/90] continuing). Higher levels of discomfort were reported with triptans (88% [80/91] rarely or never prescribe during pregnancy). Survey respondents felt less comfortable with recommending preventive migraine treatments to pregnant patients (40% [37/92] somewhat or very comfortable), compared with a higher comfort level with continuing preventive medications (63% [58/92] somewhat or very comfortable). Highest comfort levels were reported with use of magnesium (69% [63/91] comfortable prescribing, 82% [75/92] comfortable continuing) and non-pharmacologic approaches (70% [62/89] comfortable prescribing, 84% [75/89] comfortable continuing). Nearly 40% (35/92) of respondents reported that they typically refer to neurologists or headache specialists for migraine treatment during pregnancy.

CONCLUSION

This survey of women's healthcare providers revealed varying levels of comfort regarding migraine management during pregnancy, and highlights the need for additional education regarding migraine treatment safety data during pregnancy.

Headaches in Pregnancy and Postpartum: ACOG Clinical Practice Guideline No. 3

PURPOSE

To provide updated evidence-based recommendations for the evaluation and treatment of primary and secondary headaches in pregnancy and postpartum.

TARGET POPULATION

Pregnant and postpartum patients with a history of or experiencing primary or new secondary headaches.

METHODS

This guideline was developed using an a priori protocol in conjunction with a writing team consisting of two specialists in obstetrics and gynecology appointed by the ACOG Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines-Obstetrics and one external subject matter expert. ACOG medical librarians completed a comprehensive literature search for primary literature within Cochrane Library, Cochrane Collaboration Registry of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, PubMed, and MEDLINE. Studies that moved forward to the full-text screening stage were assessed by two authors from the writing team based on standardized inclusion and exclusion criteria. Included studies underwent quality assessment, and a modified GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) evidence-to-decision framework was applied to interpret and translate the evidence into recommendation statements.

RECOMMENDATIONS

This Clinical Practice Guideline includes recommendations on interventions to prevent primary headache in individuals who are pregnant or attempting to become pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding; evaluation for symptomatic patients presenting with primary and secondary headaches during pregnancy; and treatment options for primary and secondary headaches during pregnancy and lactation. Recommendations are classified by strength and evidence quality. Ungraded Good Practice Points are included to provide guidance when a formal recommendation could not be made because of inadequate or nonexistent evidence.

An exploratory survey on community pharmacists’ service provision for pregnant and lactating women in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

Over-the-counter (OTC) medications are generally deemed safe to be used during pregnancy and lactation. However, some products can be harmful to the mother, fetus or breast-fed child, which presents a challenge to health professionals and consumers. This study was aimed at assessing the practice of OTC medication dispensing and counseling services provided to pregnant and lactating by community pharmacists (CPs). A cross-sectional descriptive questionnaire-based survey was answered during February—November 2020, by licensed CPs practicing in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The determination of the significant factors associated with the CPs’ views and OTC medication dispensing during pregnancy and breastfeeding was carried out using logistic regression. Among 256 respondents, dispensing medicines and referral to a physician were the predominant services provided to pregnant and lactating women. Respondents dispensed medications mostly to treat headache (74.2%), fever (62.5%) in pregnant women, and headache (81.3%) and fever (65.2%) in lactating mothers. Referral to a physician was common in pregnant women in the following cases: varicose veins (72.7%), swelling of the feet and legs (71.9%), and vaginal itching (53.9%). In breastfeeding women, the referrals were commonly for varicose veins (79.7%), swelling of the feet and legs (73.0%) and mastitis (70.3%). Most participants came to an agreement that CPs are capable of counselling and providing pregnant and lactating women the best OTC treatment. Around 35% of the respondents stated that OTC medicines are not safe to be used during pregnancy. One in five respondents stated that OTC medicines are not safe for breastfeeding women. CPs were confident to counsel and provide advice to pregnant and breastfeeding women to address medication and health problems. Proper utilization of CPs can contribute largely to the healthcare system in managing common minor ailments in pregnant and lactating women, reducing the need to visit the physician and enhancing patient safety.

Intracranial rebleeding post spinal anesthesia in pregnant patient with undiagnosed chronic subdural hematoma: case report

Intracranial hematoma after spinal anesthesia is a rare complication. It generally presents with posture-dependent headache that becomes persistent. We describe the case of patient submitted to spinal anesthesia for cesarean section who presented a non-posture-dependent headache, resistant to clinical treatment, that progressively worsened and with symptoms of intracranial hypertension. The patient had a history of head trauma without symptoms. The CT-scan revealed a chronic bilateral parietal hematoma with a recent bleeding component, treated surgically. We concluded that spinal puncture led to chronic hematoma to rebleed. We have reported the case to draw attention to the importance of investigating atypical headache after spinal anesthesia.

Headache and distress during pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of headache, review variables believed to be associated, and assess distress levels in pregnant women.

METHODS

This is a cross-sectional study conducted on pregnant women who presented to a Training and Research Hospital in Sakarya, Turkey from June 1, 2020 to December 1, 2020. The study group consisted of 600 pregnant women who agreed to take part in the study. Chi-squared test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data. Statistical significance level was accepted as P value of 0.05 or less.

RESULTS

The ages of pregnant women ranged from 19 to 44 years with a mean age of 29.01 ± 5.27 years. Prevalence of headache during pregnancy was found to be 55.7% (n = 334). The number of pregnant women at of distress was found to be 144 (24.0%). There was no difference between women with and without headache and between severity of headache and prevalence of distress (P > 0.05 for each).

CONCLUSION

Headache is an important health issue in pregnant women. There was no relationship between the presence and severity of headache and distress level.

Retrospective Review of Pregnant Patients Presenting for Evaluation of Acute Neurologic Complaints

STUDY OBJECTIVE

Data suggest an increase in neurologic-related hospitalizations during pregnancy. It is crucial for health care providers to develop effective strategies to evaluate this young, generally healthy cohort of patients for whom missed neurologic diagnoses can have devastating results. We aim to describe the epidemiology of this high risk patient population by investigating exam findings, imaging studies, and clinical outcomes of pregnant women presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute neurologic complaints.

METHODS

We conducted a 7-year retrospective chart review of pregnant patients presenting with neurologic chief complaints to the emergency department of an urban tertiary academic medical center in the northeastern United States. We investigated examination findings, imaging studies, and clinical outcomes.

RESULTS

Between January 1, 2010, and May 31, 2017, 205 pregnant patients presented to the ED with a neurologic chief complaint. The majority of patients had a normal neurologic examination result. Patients with an abnormal examination result were not more likely to have clinically significant imaging findings. Within our population, 28% underwent imaging, and noncontrast magnetic resonance imaging was the most common modality. Five patients had clinically significant imaging findings. Specifically, 3.3% of patients with abnormal examination result had significant findings and 2.3% of those with a normal examination result had significant findings. A minority of the patients with a visit resulting in discharge (9.8%) returned to the ED within a 7-day period. None required additional neuroimaging.

CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, our study is unique in that it incorporated all neurologic complaints. Headache was the most common complaint, followed by dizziness and seizures. Most of the headaches were related to first-trimester migraines. There was a high incidence of imaging used in clinical practice even when there was a normal neurologic examination result. A normal examination result does not adequately exclude serious intracranial pathology, and diagnostic vigilance is justified.

Headache and pregnancy: a systematic review

This systematic review summarizes the existing data on headache and pregnancy with a scope on clinical headache phenotypes, treatment of headaches in pregnancy and effects of headache medications on the child during pregnancy and breastfeeding, headache related complications, and diagnostics of headache in pregnancy. Headache during pregnancy can be both primary and secondary, and in the last case can be a symptom of a life-threatening condition. The most common secondary headaches are stroke, cerebral venous thrombosis, subarachnoid hemorrhage, pituitary tumor, choriocarcinoma, eclampsia, preeclampsia, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, and reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome. Migraine is a risk factor for pregnancy complications, particularly vascular events. Data regarding other primary headache conditions are still scarce. Early diagnostics of the disease manifested by headache is important for mother and fetus life. It is especially important to identify “red flag symptoms” suggesting that headache is a symptom of a serious disease. In order to exclude a secondary headache additional studies can be necessary: electroencephalography, ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck, brain MRI and MR angiography with contrast ophthalmoscopy and lumbar puncture. During pregnancy and breastfeeding the preferred therapeutic strategy for the treatment of primary headaches should always be a non-pharmacological one. Treatment should not be postponed as an undermanaged headache can lead to stress, sleep deprivation, depression and poor nutritional intake that in turn can have negative consequences for both mother and baby. Therefore, if non-pharmacological interventions seem inadequate, a well-considered choice should be made concerning the use of medication, taking into account all the benefits and possible risks.

Managing Migraine During Pregnancy and Lactation

While over half of women with migraine report improvement during pregnancy, having a history of migraine may increase the chance of negative health outcomes. The state of pregnancy increases the risk of several dangerous secondary headache disorders, especially those associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and providers need to know the red flags to diagnose and treat emergently. Non-pharmacological migraine treatments can be instituted in advance of pregnancy as many are considered the safest options during pregnancy, but understanding the safety of medications and dietary supplements ensures appropriate care for the refractory migraine patient. New controversy exists over the safety of several historically routine and safe migraine treatment options in pregnancy, such as magnesium, acetaminophen, ondansetron, and butalbital. While it is not clear if breastfeeding decreases the postpartum recurrence of migraine, understanding safe treatment options during lactation can allow women to continue breastfeeding while achieving migraine relief.

[Current approaches to treatment of migraine during pregnancy]

Migraine is one of the most common complaints in the majority of pregnant women. Migraine without aura is the most frequent cause of headache. Improvement of this disease is reported in 50-80% of patient. However, about one third of pregnant women have severe prolonged attacks with marked concomitant symptoms and maladaptation that necessarily need treatment. Authors consider the issues of differential diagnosis and principles of management of these patients.

Migraine in pregnancy and lactation

Migraine headache is a significant health problem affecting women more than men. In women, the hormonal fluctuations seen during pregnancy and lactation can affect migraine frequency and magnitude. Understanding the evaluation of headache in pregnancy is important, especially given the increased risk of secondary headache conditions. Pregnancy and lactation can complicate treatment options for women with migraine because of the risk of certain medications to the fetus. This review includes details of the workup and then provides treatment options for migraine during pregnancy and lactation.

The self-prescribed use of aromatherapy oils by pregnant women

BACKGROUND

While some studies have reported effectiveness of aromatherapy oils use during labour there is no reported evidence of efficacy or risks of aromatherapy oils use for pregnancy-related symptoms or conditions. A number of aromatherapy oils are unsafe for use by pregnant women yet there is currently no research examining the prevalence and characteristics of women who use aromatherapy oils during pregnancy.

AIM

To conduct an empirical study of the prevalence and characteristics of women who use aromatherapy oils during pregnancy.

METHODS

The research was conducted as part of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH), focusing on the nationally representative sample of Australian women aged 31-36 years. Data were collected via a cross-sectional questionnaire (n=8200) conducted in 2009.

RESULTS

Self-prescribed aromatherapy oils were used by 15.2% of pregnant women. Pregnant women were 1.57 (95% CI: 1.01, 2.43) times more likely to self-prescribe use of aromatherapy oils if they have allergies or hayfever, and 2.26 (95% CI: 1.34, 3.79) times more likely to self-prescribe use of aromatherapy oils if they have a urinary tract infection (UTI).

CONCLUSION

Our study highlights a considerable use of aromatherapy oils by pregnant women. There is a clear need for greater communication between practitioners and patients regarding the use of aromatherapy oils during pregnancy, as well a need for health care practitioners to be mindful that pregnant women in their care may be using aromatherapy oils, some of which may be unsafe.

Italian guidelines for primary headaches: 2012 revised version

The first edition of the Italian diagnostic and therapeutic guidelines for primary headaches in adults was published in J Headache Pain 2(Suppl. 1):105–190 (2001). Ten years later, the guideline committee of the Italian Society for the Study of Headaches (SISC) decided it was time to update therapeutic guidelines. A literature search was carried out on Medline database, and all articles on primary headache treatments in English, German, French and Italian published from February 2001 to December 2011 were taken into account. Only randomized controlled trials (RCT) and meta-analyses were analysed for each drug. If RCT were lacking, open studies and case series were also examined. According to the previous edition, four levels of recommendation were defined on the basis of levels of evidence, scientific strength of evidence and clinical effectiveness. Recommendations for symptomatic and prophylactic treatment of migraine and cluster headache were therefore revised with respect to previous 2001 guidelines and a section was dedicated to non-pharmacological treatment. This article reports a summary of the revised version published in extenso in an Italian version.

Acute neurological issues in pregnancy and the peripartum

Acute neurological diseases requiring hospitalization are relatively rare in women of childbearing age. However, during pregnancy and the postpartum period, several diseases increase in prevalence. Some are unique to the pregnant/postpartum state including preeclampsia and delivery-associated neuropathies. Others, although indirectly related to pregnancy, such as cerebral venous thrombosis, ischemic stroke, and intracerebral hemorrhage, increase in frequency and carry considerable risk of morbidity and mortality. In addition, treatment options are often limited. This review discusses the diseases more commonly seen during pregnancy and the postpartum period, with a focus on emergent neurological diseases and their management. Interventional therapies will also be discussed.

Non-pharmacological management of migraine during pregnancy

Migrainous women note a significant improvement in their headaches during pregnancy. However, persistent or residual attacks need to be treated, keeping in mind that many drugs have potential dangerous effects on embryo and foetus. It is evident, therefore, that hygiene and behaviour measures capable of ensuring the best possible well-being (regular meals and balanced diet, restriction of alcohol and smoking, regular sleeping pattern, moderate physical exercise and relaxation) are advisable during pregnancy. Among non-pharmacological migraine prophylaxis only relaxation techniques, in particular biofeedback, and acupuncture have accumulated sufficient evidence in support of their efficacy and safety. Some vitamins and dietary supplements have been proposed: the prophylactic properties of magnesium, riboflavin and coenzyme Q10 are probably low, but their lack of severe adverse effects makes them good treatment options.

Migraine in women

Of the nearly 32 million Americans with migraine, 24 million are women. It is a disorder affecting women throughout their lifetimes, from childhood and puberty through the postmenopausal years. In childhood, before puberty girls are afflicted with migraine at approximately the same rate as boys, but after puberty, there is an emerging female predominance. Estrogen plays a key role in this epidemiologic variation but is not the only factor. There are numerous times when hormonal influences have an impact on migraine and its pattern, including menarche, oral contraceptive use, pregnancy, perimenopause, and menopause. Hence practitioners treating women with migraine need to have a clear understanding of these special considerations.