Pregnancies are rarely an easy walk-in-the-park kind of an affair whoever you may be, but when you suffer from migraines being pregnant can get even more complicated. Many of the migraine medications you normally take may suddenly become off limits as they’re not recommended for use during pregnancy. This is where things start to get complicated.
Well the good news is that many migraine sufferers find that their migraines decrease in frequency and intensity during pregnancy. Research has shown that between 50%-80% of women who had migraines before they were pregnant noticed a reduction in their migraine attacks during pregnancy, and especially so during the second and third trimesters.
That’s not all migraine sufferers though, and if you are one of the unlucky few who doesn’t see a positive change; or not enough of a reduction; or (please no!) a worsening of their migraines during pregnancy, what do you do? What can you do to manage your migraines without causing potential harm to your baby?
As well as discussing with your doctor which medications are suitable to take during pregnancy (paracetamol and, for the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, ibuprofen are common recommendations), you might find taking magnesium supplements to be beneficial.
There has been lots of research which has shown that people with migraines often have lower levels of magnesium than those who don’t have migraines and, linked to this, one study found that giving participants a regular intake of magnesium reduced the frequency of migraine attacks by an average of 41.6%.
Aside from migraine-related benefits, in terms of pregnancy-related benefits, research suggests that magnesium supplements may reduce some risk of additional complications such as foetal growth restriction.
It may not eliminate your migraine attacks completely, but even so given the research results, magnesium supplements could be beneficial for both mother and baby.
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