Breastfeeding HeadacheBreastfeeding headache was first described in 1989, but has probably been happening to nursing mothers since time began. headaches after delivery of a baby are very common, and most are attributed to migraine, fatigue or blood pressure changes. A very small number of women will get a headache only during breastfeeding, called lactation headache.
Lactation HeadacheDuring breast feeding, suckling causes the pituitary to release a hormone called oxytocin, which causes the milk ducts to expel milk into the baby's mouth.Oxytocin may also cause smooth muscle in arteries to contract. It is presumably this smooth muscle contraction that causes these very rare instances of lactation headache. Oxytocin is also released into the bloodstream during sex. Oxytocin has been proposed as a cause of Sexual Activity Headache. Can Breastfeeding (Lactation) Headache be serious?There is one case, I know of, where a headache that developed following delivery and during breastfeeding was due to a small haemorrhage into the pituitary gland.Haemorrhage into the pituitary gland can cause a much more severe headache disorder called pituitary apoplexy. ReferencesAskmark H, Lundberg PO. Lactation headache-a new form of headache? Cephalalgia 1989;9:119-22 (Free Abstract only)RV D’Costa An unusual postpartum headache. Endocrine Abstracts 2005;10:13. (Free Abstract only)
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