Women (n = 1443) expecting their first child were studied to
examine whether prepregnancy headache predicts problems in the
well‐being of pregnant women and newborns. Subject collection was based
on stratified randomized cluster sampling.

Impairment of health during the first trimester was more
often reported by women with frequent prepregnancy headache than by
nonsufferers. They also made more visits to a doctor and had more
pregnancy symptoms during the third trimester. Use of any medication
during the first trimester was also more common in the headache group.
Mental health status was worse, fatigue and depression increased during
pregnancy more often, and stress and anxiety about delivery were more
common in this group. The relationship with spouses worsened during
pregnancy in the headache group and seemed to be predicted by impairment
of somatic health during the first trimester and increasing depression
during pregnancy. No statistical differences between groups were found
in variables measuring the well‐being of the newborns.

Frequent prepregnancy headache proved to be a strong
predictor of ill‐being in pregnant women. This result should find
practical applications in the preventive work of maternity health care
clinics.