Management and Impact of Migraine During Pregnancy: Rashmi Halker Singh, MD

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

"I think this is really exciting because this is an opportunity for us to make a difference in the lives of women who have migraine, especially when they're thinking about these big life decisions that are time sensitive. We can first of all provide some education, guidance and counseling, and also our options for treatment are widening too."

In women, the prevalence of migraine is 3 times higher during fertile years compared with men, mainly because of the differences in sex hormones.¹ Although majority of women report improvement in their migraine attacks during pregnancy in migraine without aura, there have also been reports of migraine attacks with aura that may remain the same or worsen. Thus, management of the condition for those who are expecting or planning a pregnancy remains critical.

Rashmi Halker Singh, MD, FAHS, FAAN, an attendee at the 2023 American Headache Society (AHS) Annual Meeting, June 15-18, in Austin, Texas, sat down in an interview with NeurologyLive® to discuss this hot topic of conversation in the field. She talked about how healthcare professionals are currently approaching the management of migraine in pregnant women, and some of the challenges they face. She also spoke about some of the common concerns women with migraines have expressed when deciding on pregnancy, and how education help can address those concerns. In addition, Halker Singh talked about how recent research has shed more light on the safety of migraine medications during pregnancy, and how this may impact treatment options for patients.

Click here for more coverage of AHS 2023.

REFERENCES
1. van Casteren DS, van den Brink AM, Terwindt GM. Migraine and other headache disorders in pregnancy. Handb Clin Neurol. 2020;172:187-199. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64240-0.00011-8