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What is Cardiac Disease in pregnancy?

Cardiac (heart) disease during pregnancy refers to issues with your heart that occur when you are pregnant. There are two main types of cardiac problems that can occur during pregnancy, including preexisting heart conditions and heart conditions that develop during pregnancy.

Preexisting heart conditions: These are heart diseases that were diagnosed before pregnancy. These conditions may or may not cause symptoms, but during pregnancy, may lead to complications. Common preexisting heart conditions that may raise the risk of pregnancy complications include congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathy, heart valve disease, and aortic disease.

Heart conditions that develop in pregnancy: These are cardiovascular conditions that were not present before pregnancy. Conditions that may develop during pregnancy include high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, arrhythmias, spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD), myocardial ischemia, peripartum cardiomyopathy, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism.

If you are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant, it is important to educate yourself on how heart disease could affect you.

There are some heart conditions that are related to syndromes that make pregnancy very dangerous. A maternal fetal medicine specialist may advise that you not become pregnant if you have the following cardiac conditions:

• Coarctation of the aorta
• Severe aortic valve stenosis
• Eisenmenger syndrome
• Marfan syndrome
• Fontan physiology
• Severe mitral valve stenosis
• Peripartum cardiomyopathy in a previous pregnancy
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Severe aortic dilation

Symptoms of Heart Problems During Pregnancy

There are some cardiac symptoms that may be similar to how you would normally feel during pregnancy, including shortness of breath, fatigue, needing to urinate often, and swelling of the feet and ankles. While these symptoms may be harmless, they could be a sign of heart problems if they begin after 20 weeks of pregnancy, you feel shortness of breath while resting, you have shortness of breath that wakes you up in the night, or these symptoms prevent you from achieving your normal tasks.

Symptoms that are not normal during pregnancy and should be treated by a medical professional right away include chest pain, blurry vision, fainting, or a racing heart.

Managing Heart Disease During Pregnancy

While there are no recommended medical regimens for preventing cardiac disease in pregnancy, there are some steps you can take to manage it if you are diagnosed.

Attend Your Doctor Appointments: Be sure to attend your scheduled medical appointments during pregnancy to ensure that your doctor is up to date on any health changes or happenings. You may also need regular testing such as echocardiograms to check on your heart function.

Reduce Stress: Stress can trigger heart issues, so it is important that you try to reduce your stress levels as much as possible. There are many different relaxation strategies available to help manage stress, including meditation, deep breathing exercises, prenatal yoga, and more.

Exercise Safely: Speak with your provider regarding a safe exercise plan for you to follow during pregnancy. There may be some activities you will be asked to avoid to prevent putting extra strain on your heart.

Follow a Healthy Diet: Eating a heart-healthy diet that avoids excess sodium, sugar, trans fat, and saturated fat can help to keep your heart healthy.

Schedule an Appointment

To schedule a high risk pregnancy consultation with one of our Maternal Fetal Medicine specialists, please call Carnegie Imaging today or contact us online.

Carnegie Imaging for Women blogs are intended for educational purposes only and do not replace certified professional care. Medical conditions vary and change frequently. Please ask your doctor any questions you may have regarding your condition to receive a proper diagnosis or risk analysis. Thank you!