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3 June 2003
Pregnancy and breastfeeding appear to offer
transient protection from migraines in women, although morning
sickness and other complications may reduce this effect, research
from Italy reveals.
For their study, G. Sances (Institute of Neurology, Pavia)
and colleagues enrolled 49 pregnant women with a recent history
of migraine attending a routine antenatal check-up. Each woman
maintained a headache diary throughout pregnancy and until
1 month after delivery.
Migraines improved in 47 percent of women during the first
trimester, 83 percent during the second, and in 87 percent
during the third. Complete remission was reported by 11 percent,
53 percent, and 79 percent of women in each trimester, respectively.
One-third of women experienced a recurrence of migraine in
the first week after childbirth, and 55 percent suffered at
least one migraine during the first month. Bottle feeding was
strongly associated with recurrence during the first week and
first month.
The main factor predicting a lack of migraine improvement was
a pathological course of pregnancy; other factors associated
with a lack of headache improvement were second-trimester hyperemesis
and the presence of menses-associated migraine before pregnancy.
The researchers conclude: "Our prospective study demonstrated
a very favorable effect of pregnancy in the overwhelming majority
of patients affected by migraine without aura."
Source: Cephalalgia
2003; 23: 197-205
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