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Migraines after sex and during pregnancy

I’m 34 and have been suffering from migraines with aura since I was a child. Most often I get vision changes and vision loss as well as numbness that can start on one side of the body and travel to the other side, and when it’s particularly bad I also suffer memory loss and inability to speak etc. prior to the headache and nausea. I have tried medication but nothing has worked. I usually get migraines about once a month.

I was wondering how many of you are also suffering from migraines after sex, and if you have found any ways to avoid them. To me it happens every now and again, the more intense the sex the more likely it is I’ll get a migraine after.

My husband and I are trying to get pregnant and I recently experienced a chemical pregnancy (very early miscarriage), during the weeks after conception I had about 3 migraines a week and after that I’ve been having migraines after sex a lot more often than before. I’m suspecting it’s all due to the hormones but would appreciate hearing if others have had similar experiences and if you have found anything to stop this from happening.

  1. Hi mimi1983,

    I'd like to say how sorry I am about your recent miscarriage. Fluctuating hormones can be a strong migraine trigger for some of us with migraine disease.

    Have you been able to discuss these migraine attacks that are triggered by sexual activity? If not, I would encourage you to at your next visit. In the mean time, we have information that may be helpful; https://migraine.com/migraine-triggers/sexual-activity/ and https://migraine.com/living-migraine/not-tonight-dear-i-have-a-migraine/.

    A word about migraine disease. If we have three or four severe migraine attacks a month, its time to discuss migraine prevention medication with the doctor. When we have less than that, medications that abort (stop) the migraine process are suggested. These include the triptans and you can read more here; https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/migraine-medication-relief/ and https://migraine.com/blog/triptan-for-migraines/.

    I hope this helps and good luck!
    Nancy

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