Headache and tiredness during pregnancy: what should you know?

Pregnancy can alter sleep, appetite, circulation, and hormone levels, making fatigue and headache more noticeable. Dehydration, low blood glucose from missed meals, stress, eyesight changes, or a viral illness may add to the symptoms. Anaemia can cause tiredness, weakness, breathlessness, or headache and may need a blood test. A severe headache later in pregnancy can be linked with high blood pressure, so its timing and associated symptoms matter.

Rest when possible, eat regular balanced meals, and drink fluids throughout the day. Rise slowly if you feel light-headed and take breaks from screens. Keep a note of the headache location, severity, duration, blood pressure readings if you have been asked to check them, and any visual symptoms. Before using pain medicine, confirm with your maternity clinician or pharmacist that it is suitable in pregnancy.

Seek urgent maternity or emergency care for a severe headache that does not settle, flashing lights or blurred vision, sudden swelling of the face or hands, pain beneath the ribs, fainting, seizure, weakness, confusion, fever with a stiff neck, vaginal bleeding, or reduced fetal movement when that is relevant to your stage of pregnancy. Contact your clinician soon for worsening fatigue, breathlessness, palpitations, or repeated headaches.

Ask whether your blood pressure, urine, blood count, iron status, or thyroid function should be checked. Tell them about sleep, meals, fluid intake, work demands, mood, medicines, and any recent infection.