What should you know about headache and itchy skin in pregnancy?

Pregnancy can change skin sensitivity and may worsen atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, hives, or dryness. A headache may be unrelated, but a new or severe headache with visual symptoms, sudden swelling, upper abdominal pain, or marked illness can signal a pregnancy complication requiring urgent assessment. Note whether itching is localised, widespread, rash-free, worse at night, or linked to a new product; these symptoms do not identify one diagnosis alone.

Contact your maternity team or clinician about a new persistent combination of symptoms. Rest, drink fluids if you can, and use fragrance-free moisturiser, loose clothing, and cool compresses for irritated skin. Avoid starting prescription creams, oral medicines, or herbal products without checking pregnancy suitability. Record headache onset, severity, rash appearance, exposures, vision changes, and swelling.

Seek urgent maternity or emergency care for a severe or sudden headache, vision change, confusion, weakness, fainting, trouble breathing, facial swelling, fever, stiff neck, severe upper abdominal pain, or rapidly spreading rash. Contact your maternity team promptly for persistent widespread itch, especially when intense at night or present without an obvious rash. Do not wait for a routine visit when seriously unwell.

Ask whether blood pressure and urine need checking, which pregnancy-safe skin and headache treatments are suitable, and whether the itch pattern needs additional testing.