- Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston conducted a large prospective study to better understand the association between migraines and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- They reported that women with pre-pregnancy migraines had a 17% higher risk of preterm delivery, a 28% higher risk of gestational hypertension, and a 40% higher risk of preeclampsia compared to those without pre-pregnancy migraines.
- They say that these findings suggest that pregnant women with a history of migraine may benefit from closer monitoring during pregnancy.
Women have a
Some individuals experience an “aura” before a migraine headache, which frequently involves flashing lights in the field of vision.
A recent meta-analysis showed that migraine, particularly with an aura, is associated with two-fold higher risk of stroke and myocardial infarction.
Researchers have hypothesized that the biological characteristics responsible for cardiovascular risks in people with migraine might also increase the risk of pregnancy complications.
However, to date, few studies have examined the link between migraine and pregnancy complications. These studies are limited by small study populations and a lack of information on potential confounding factors and the migraine phenotype (with or without aura).
With these gaps in mind, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston designed a large, prospective study to estimate the associations of pre-pregnancy migraine with risk of gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, pre-eclampsia, pre-term delivery, and low birthweight.
In the study, published in the journal Neurology, the researchers also sought to determine whether these associations vary by migraine phenotype and to examine potential effect modification by aspirin use.
To accomplish these objectives, Alexandra Cari Purdue-Smithe, Ph.D., an…
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