Researchers of a study sought to evaluate the link between pre-pregnancy migraine and migraine phenotype along with risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes, as migraine is determined to be very common in women of reproductive age. Using the Nurses’ Health Study II, researchers projected associations of migraine and migraine phenotype that was self-reported and physician-diagnosed with adverse pregnancy outcomes. Researchers included 30,555 incident pregnancies in their evaluation. A total of 19,694 participants did not have a history of cancer, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease.
Compared with no migraine, following the adjustments for age, adiposity, and other behavioral and health considerations, there was a correlation between pre-pregnancy migraine and greater risk of preterm delivery (relative risk [RR]=1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.05, 1.30), gestational hypertension (RR=1.28; 95% CI=1.11, 1.48), and preeclampsia (RR=1.40; 95% CI=1.19, 1.65). No link was found between migraine and low birthweight or gestational diabetes mellitus. There was found to be a greater risk of preeclampsia in participants who had migraine with aura vs migraine without aura, while other outcomes were comparable by migraine phenotype. Researchers concluded that history of migraine and migraine phenotype look to be important factors to consider in the management and assessment of obstetric risk.
Reference: Purdue-Smithe AC, Stuart JJ, Farland LV, et al. Prepregnancy Migraine, Migraine Phenotype, and Risk of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes [published online ahead of print, 2023 Jan 19]. Neurology. 2023;10.1212/WNL.0000000000206831. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000206831
Link: https://n.neurology.org/content/early/2023/01/19/WNL.0000000000206831
