Exercise in early pregnancy among women with migraine: A hospital-based cross-sectional study

Objective

Migraine is one of the most common pain disorders among women of childbearing age. While medical treatment might be necessary for some during pregnancy, non-pharmacological approaches, such as exercise, are generally recommended. We aimed to assess the association between migraine and exercise behaviours, adherence to the national recommendations for exercise, and the type of exercise undertaken during early pregnancy within a cohort of Danish women.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study using patient-reported questionnaire data from The Copenhagen Pregnancy Cohort (2013–2019). Logistic regression analyses were applied to assess associations between migraine and the selected outcomes, with adjustment for relevant confounders.

Results

We included 24,017 pregnancies. Women with migraine were more likely to refrain from exercise in early pregnancy compared to those without (46.4% vs 40.8%) (aOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.12–1.41). Additionally, they were more likely not to meet the national recommendations for exercise (62.9% vs 57.8%), (aOR 1.27, 95% CI 1.13–1.42). The differences were consistent among women with migraine with aura (MA) and migraine without aura (MO), respectively. Women with and without migraine participated in similar types of exercise during early pregnancy.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that women with migraine were less likely to engage in exercise and to adhere to the national recommendations of exercise, compared to those without. Findings were similar for women with MA and MO. The types of exercise performed did not differ between groups.