Occipital Nerve Block Compared With Acetaminophen and Caffeine for Headache Treatment in Pregnancy

Abstract

(Obstet Gynecol. 2023;142:1179–1188) Tension and migraine headaches affect a significant portion of individuals of reproductive age and are a common complaint during pregnancy. Unfortunately, headache treatment during pregnancy can be difficult because of the effect of some treatments on fetal health and a fear of masking secondary headaches that could be related to pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia. One treatment that has been established as effective in a nonobstetric population is occipital nerve block, which involves a subcutaneous injection of local anesthetic into the area surrounding the occipital nerves. The local anesthetics typically used are consistent with those used in epidural analgesia during labor and delivery, and thus are theoretically safe in pregnant individuals. This study was designed to assess the efficacy of occipital nerve block treatment for acute headache in pregnancy compared with standard care.