Women who have migraines at bigger risk of complications during pregnancy

By Chris Dyer via SWNS

Women who suffer from migraines could be at a bigger risk of having complications during pregnancy such as premature births and preeclampsia, scientists warned.

Gestational high blood pressure and preterm delivery are more likely if a woman has regular migraines, a new study found.

Researchers also discovered women with migraines with 'aura' may have a somewhat higher risk of preeclampsia than women with migraines without aura - sensations that come before the headache, often visual disturbances such as flashing lights. 

Preeclampsia sufferers have high blood pressure with added symptoms, such as protein in the urine, during pregnancy, which can threaten the life of the mother and baby.

Professor Alexandra Purdue-Smithe, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and a study author, said: “Roughly 20 percent of women of childbearing age experience migraine, but the impact of migraine on pregnancy outcomes has not been well understood.

“Our large prospective study found links between migraine and pregnancy complications that could help inform doctors and women with migraine of potential risks they should be aware of during pregnancy.”

For the study researchers looked at more than 30,000 pregnancies in roughly 19,000 women over a 20-year period.

Of those pregnancies, 11 percent of the women reported that they were diagnosed by a doctor with migraine before pregnancy.

Experts examined women’s complications during pregnancy such as preterm delivery, defined as a baby born before 37 weeks gestation, gestational diabetes, gestational high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and low birthweight.

After accounting for age, obesity, and other behavioral and health factors that could affect the risk of complications, researchers found when compared to women without migraine, women with migraine had a 17 percent higher risk of preterm delivery, a 28 percent higher risk of gestational high blood pressure, and a 40 percent higher risk of preeclampsia.

Of the 3,881 pregnancies among women with migraine, 10 percent were delivered preterm, compared to eight percent of the pregnancies among women without migraine, scientists said.

For gestational high blood pressure, seven percent of pregnancies among women with migraine developed this condition compared to five percent among pregnancies in women without migraine.

For preeclampsia, six percent of pregnancies among women with migraine experienced it, compared to three percent of pregnancies among women who did not have migraine, researchers found.

Additionally, when looking at migraine with and without aura, women who had migraine with aura were 51 percent more likely to develop preeclampsia during pregnancy than women without migraine, while those who had migraine without aura were 29 percent more likely.

Researchers found migraine was not linked with gestational diabetes or low birth weight of the baby.

Prof Purdue-Smithe added: “While the risks of these complications are still quite low overall, women with a history of migraine should be aware of and consult with their doctor on potential pregnancy risks. 

“More research is needed to determine exactly why migraine may be associated with higher risks of complications.

“In the meantime, women with migraine may benefit from closer monitoring during pregnancy so that complications like preeclampsia can be identified and managed as soon as possible.”

A limitation of the study was that although migraine history was reported before pregnancy, information on migraine aura was not collected until later in the study after many of the pregnancies ended, the study authors said.

This means the findings for migraine aura may have been influenced by participants’ ability to accurately remember their experiences, the experts said.

The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 74th Annual Meeting being held in person in Seattle on April 2 to 7 and virtually on April 24 to 26.