During pregnancy

Migraines often improve or even stop during pregnancy. This may be because estrogen levels rise quickly in early pregnancy and stay high throughout pregnancy. However, tension headaches usually won't improve, as they aren't affected by hormone changes.

If you have regular headaches, it's important to talk with your healthcare professional about medicines that are safe during pregnancy. Have this conversation before getting pregnant. Many headache medicines can have harmful effects on a developing baby or their effects are not known.

If your headaches go away during pregnancy, they might return after delivery. This is because of the sudden drop in estrogen levels that happens after giving birth. It also may be due to stress, a change in eating habits and lack of sleep.

If headaches return while you're breastfeeding, talk with your healthcare professional about which medicines are safe to take.