Migraine and preterm birth

Objective: To investigate whether maternal migraine was associated with preterm birth. Study Design: Case-control sample within a population-based study of risk factors for cerebral palsy (CP). Infants without CP were matched for gestational age with those with CP. Maternal migraine was self-identified at first prenatal visit, most in the first trimester. Result: Infants without CP born to women with migraine had a higher rate of preterm birth (odds ratio (OR) = 3.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.5, 8.5), as did infants who died in the perinatal period (OR = 7.3, 95% CI 0.98, 54), the difference marginal for nominal statistical significance. In all outcome groups, infants of women with migraine had a higher observed rate of suboptimal intrauterine growth. In term infants, the rate of maternal migraine was higher in those with CP than in controls (OR = 2.18, 95% CI 0.92, 5.25). Pre-eclampsia was reported more frequently in women with migraine who gave birth to a child with CP or a perinatal death, particularly in those born preterm; OR = 5.1 (1.3, 20) and OR = 2.9 (1.1, 7.6), respectively, but not in women giving birth to a control whether term or preterm. Conclusion: Maternal migraine, as self-reported early in pregnancy, was associated with preterm birth in survivors without CP and in infants who died in the perinatal period. The combination of maternal migraine and pre-eclampsia was associated with CP and perinatal death. The association of maternal migraine with outcomes of pregnancy warrants further study. Journal of Perinatology (2011) 31, 434-439; doi:10.1038/jp.2010.148; published online 23 December 2010