sharp headaches during pregnancy

by nicole
(birmingham)

I started to get a headache yesterday afternoon and it has got progressively worse. Last night I had sharp pains in my head and was sick. I am 14 weeks pregnant, i no longer smoke or drink and my health has been fine. I am not taking any drugs or medicines and I have no family history. I tried two Paracetamol tablets last night when the pain began and they came to no effect. Can you tell me what this could be please?

Headache and Pregnancy

First of all, the majority of headaches are benign and nothing to worry about. However, in pregnancy there are a couple of conditions that can give rise to headache and you should get this checked out. The first is a condition called cavernous sinus thrombosis. In pregnancy, there is an increase risk of blood clots or thromboses (although rare in comparison to the number of normal pregnancies!). These can occur anywhere, but in the brain, there is an area called the cavernous sinus. If a clot forms here, headache can occur. Sometimes this is associated with other symptoms such as eye problems (due to certain cranial nerves being affected) and fever if there is an infection associated.

In pregnancy, a condition called pre-eclampsia can occur. This is a condition that affects blood pressure and is also associated with the leakage of protein in the urine. It is more common in the 3rd trimester of pregnancy though.

Both of the above conditions are serious and need investigating urgently.

Migraine headaches are common and could account for your symptoms. The changes in the hormonal environment probably account for this. Tension headaches are also common.

I understand that Paracetamol is not helping your symptoms. You could try ice packs and ask your partner to massage the affected area which may provide some headache relief for you. Clearly your headaches are concerning you and you should get them checked out though. Good luck.




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