International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Maternal and newborn health research has found a link between mothers' migraines and their infants' colic.

A team at the University of California, San Francisco, US, polled 154 women who had recently given birth and had taken their child to a paediatrician at the age of two months, when excessive crying due to the stomach problems generally peak.

It was found mothers who suffered from migraines were 2.5 times more likely to have infants who experienced a lot of colic and it was suggested by the researchers this symptom is a precursor to childhood periodic syndromes.

They stated babies with this problem may be more sensitive to external stimuli in their environment and have difficulty coping with the influx of new experiences in the outside world.

People with migraines are affected in a similar way by sensory information and it is thought childhood periodic syndromes lead to the severe headaches later in life.

As many as 29 per cent of infants whose mother had the neurological problem suffered colic, compared with 11 per cent of those whose mum did not experience migraines.

NHS Choices states around one in five children will have the stomach problem, but its causes are not known.

Posted by David Smith