Some women develop headache after delivering a baby. It is usually a normal condition and does not cause any complications. Some studies reveal that nearly 39% of the women experience headaches after giving birth, especially in the first week. This condition is known as postpartum headache. A woman develops headache due to rise in estrogen levels in the body. She begins to experience some type of hormonal imbalance. After giving birth to a child, the estrogen level reduces to a greater extent.
Headache after pregnancy
This headache usually persists for 6 weeks or sometimes evens more. But, it eventually reduces without any medication. Some women experience headache when they are breastfeeding. When milk is produced in the breasts, then the oxytocin level in the body rises and the milk is not produced sufficiently. Some of the women experience headache during this period. This headache is known as lactation headache. This headache usually does not last for more than two weeks. This headache may disappear for a period but again reoccurs. This headache occurs until the woman weans the baby.
The headache after pregnancy can be mild or severe. Some of them even experience eye problems. Due to headache some people experience the pain of blurry. Due to headache, some people develop swollen face or limbs. Some women who have undergone C-section delivery experience spinal headache. This problem can be cured by a blood patch.
How to treat headaches?
Such problems can be usually treated with plenty of fluids, caffeine, Tylenol, Advil or some of them take bed rest also. Sometimes, a woman experiences headache after pregnancy due to some serious issues. The primary causes for headaches include fatigue, stress, dehydration, stress, low estrogen levels, etc. When the estrogen levels of the woman drops, the condition is known as postpartum depression.
Sometimes headaches are also caused due to serious conditions such as meningitis, spinal headaches, preeclampsia, or tumors. If the woman is revealing severe symptoms such as weakness, numbness or blurred vision, then she should visit the doctor. She should undergo important scans such as MRI or CT scan. A woman can also undergo acupressure or massage therapy and should constantly drink water.
Headaches during pregnancy
Some women experience headache during pregnancy also. Most of them experience headache during the first trimester of her pregnancy also. This problem occurs due to increase in blood volume. These headaches are also caused due to problems such as stress or improper posture for sitting and sleeping. If a woman is experiencing headache during her pregnancy, then she can consume acetaminophen to treat headaches that occur rarely. But her overall health should be okay. During the first trimester, a woman experiences headaches due to increase in blood volume. So, along with headache a woman also experiences fatigue, stress and eyestrain.
A woman also experiences nasal congestion and runny nose due to sinusitis. This condition is common and a woman usually experiences during the first trimester of her pregnancy. In the first trimester, a woman commonly experiences headaches because of elevations in the hormonal levels. A woman also experiences dehydration, etc.