When you’re pregnant, your heart is working harder than normal. In fact, pregnant women’s hearts pump 30-50% more blood than normal, and their heart rate increases. This can raise the risk for complications like heart disease and high blood pressure. Pregnant women in South Texas tend to have pre-existing risk factors that put them at a higher risk for heart problems.
While most pregnant women with heart conditions have otherwise healthy pregnancies and babies, it’s important to understand the risk factors and potential complications.
Throughout this blog, Dr. Ildiko Agoston, a cardiologist specializing in treating pregnant women at University Health, will cover everything you need to know about heart health and having the healthiest pregnancy possible.
Risk Factors for Heart Complications During Pregnancy
Some risk factors for heart disease during pregnancy are controllable while others are not.
Controllable risk factors include:
- Being physically inactive
- Being overweight or obese
- Using cigarettes
Uncontrollable risk factors include:
- Being 40 or older
- Being Black (Black women are three times more likely to die of pregnancy-related issues than white women)
- Having high blood pressure or other pre-existing conditions
- Being born with a heart condition
- Having heart disease before becoming pregnant
“The number one risk that I would look at is whether they have a history of congenital heart disease, if they have any kind of heart deformities they were born with,” says Dr. Agoston.
If you are planning on becoming pregnant, be sure to discuss these with your provider:
- Blood pressure
- Cholesterol levels
- Blood sugar
- Family health history
High blood pressure, cholesterol or blood sugar are all potential risk factors for heart disease during pregnancy. Plus, you are at a higher risk for heart disease if it runs in your family.
Heart Disease During Pregnancy
Heart disease may develop during pregnancy, or it may be an underlying issue that was made worse during pregnancy. Either way, it can impact the overall health of your pregnancy if left unmanaged. Dr. Agoston says some conditions like preeclampsia can be especially dangerous and even fatal.
Are you worried about having a high-risk pregnancy? Take our free Prenatal Health Risk Assessment and find out your risk.
Heart Conditions That Can Develop During Pregnancy
- Blood clots
- Irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia)
- High blood pressure (hypertension) is a common occurrence during pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a sudden occurrence of high blood pressure after 20 weeks of pregnancy and can be deadly if not treated. Read Alexea's preeclampsia story.
Pre-Existing Heart Conditions That Can Impact Pregnancy
- Congenital heart disease
- Cardiomyopathy
- Heart valve disease
- Aortic disease
Signs of Heart Problems During Pregnancy
Shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pain and palpitations are all common during pregnancy. Unfortunately, they are also symptoms of an underlying heart condition, making it hard to know when to get medical attention.
Serious red flags include:
- Trouble breathing
- Pounding heartbeat
- Pain in your belly or chest
- Bloody cough
- Worsening headache
If you experience any of the symptoms above, call your health care team right away.
Heart Rate During Pregnancy
Your heart rate increases significantly during pregnancy, reaching its peak during the third trimester. A healthy range can be anywhere between 60-115 beats per minute.
Tell your doctor if you feel your chest is pounding, or if your fast heartbeat is causing dizziness or lightheadedness.
Maintaining a Healthy Heart
In addition to knowing your blood pressure, blood sugar levels, cholesterol and family history, it is just as important to understand how to take control of some controllable risk factors, like quitting smoking or being physically inactive.
Making small changes now can have a big impact on having a healthy pregnancy later on. Consider these examples:
- Staying active
- Managing stress
- Eating healthy
- Making regular visits to your OB/GYN
- Gaining a healthy amount of weight during pregnancy
- Getting plenty of rest
- Drinking plenty of fluids
- Taking medications as prescribed
Women’s Heart Center at University Health
The new Women’s Heart Center at University Health is the only clinic of its kind in South Texas, focusing exclusively on women’s heart health. Led by Dr. Ildiko Agoston, the Women’s Heart Center coordinates with the maternal-fetal medicine team at the Women’s & Children’s Hospital, providing comprehensive heart and pregnancy care for high-risk patients.
Additionally, the Women’s & Children’s Hospital offers unique services for moms and babies, like CenteringPregnancy, the Mommies Program, breastfeeding classes and more.
