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Pregnant woman with headache

Headache that won’t go away or gets worse over time

  • Feels like the worst headache of your life
  • Lasts even after treatment with medication and fluid intake
  • Starts suddenly with severe pain – like a clap of thunder
  • Throbs and is on one side of your head above your ear
  • Comes with blurred vision or dizziness
More Information

A headache is especially worrisome if:

  • You don’t usually have headaches
It happens at or after 16 weeks of your pregnancy or in the first few weeks after giving birth
  • You have high blood pressure or swelling in other parts of your body

    A lasting, severe headache may be a warning sign of other problems, such as:

  • Preeclampsia – a type of high blood pressure that happens during pregnancy
  • A migraine – women sometimes get their first migraine during pregnancy (migraines are severe headaches on one or both sides of your head that get worse with light, sound, or smells)
  • Rarely, a stroke or other brain problems (a stroke is a blood clot that stops blood and oxygen from going into your brain