Pregnancy is a natural phenomenon which imparts stress on cardiovascular system, leading to response geared towards its temporary adaptation. Physiological hypertrophy of the heart along with decreased vascular resistance during pregnancy to compensate for the circulatory overload are prime examples of such adaptive response during pregnancy. However, this stress of pregnancy has the potential to result in adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, which may be deleterious to both mother and the newborn.
Apart from acute cardiovascular conditions like peripartum cardiomyopathy, burgeoning evidence also shows the increased long-term ASCVD and metabolic syndrome risk in mothers who develop gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia/eclampsia during pregnancy. Advanced maternal age, obesity, underlying hypertension and smoking are all major cardiovascular risk factors that are increasingly prevalent in the pregnant population and can lead to adverse maternal and fetal cardiovascular outcomes. Underlying congenital heart defects in mothers can also precipitate adverse cardiac outcomes during pregnancy. Concurrently, when altered pharmacokinetics of prescribed medications during pregnancy should be taken into considerations for better fetal cardiovascular outcomes. However, awareness about these aspects of pregnancy among the primary healthcare providers and women, in general, remain lacking. Since obstetrics constitute the first line of care in a vast majority of pregnant women, awareness about the general cardiovascular complications developed during pregnancy among this group of physicians can aid in improving cardiovascular outcomes.
Pregnancy is a natural phenomenon which imparts stress on cardiovascular system, leading to response geared towards its temporary adaptation. Physiological hypertrophy of the heart along with decreased vascular resistance during pregnancy to compensate for the circulatory overload are prime examples of such adaptive response during pregnancy. However, this stress of pregnancy has the potential to result in adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, which may be deleterious to both mother and the newborn.
Apart from acute cardiovascular conditions like peripartum cardiomyopathy, burgeoning evidence also shows the increased long-term ASCVD and metabolic syndrome risk in mothers who develop gestational diabetes or pre-eclampsia/eclampsia during pregnancy. Advanced maternal age, obesity, underlying hypertension and smoking are all major cardiovascular risk factors that are increasingly prevalent in the pregnant population and can lead to adverse maternal and fetal cardiovascular outcomes. Underlying congenital heart defects in mothers can also precipitate adverse cardiac outcomes during pregnancy. Concurrently, when altered pharmacokinetics of prescribed medications during pregnancy should be taken into considerations for better fetal cardiovascular outcomes. However, awareness about these aspects of pregnancy among the primary healthcare providers and women, in general, remain lacking. Since obstetrics constitute the first line of care in a vast majority of pregnant women, awareness about the general cardiovascular complications developed during pregnancy among this group of physicians can aid in improving cardiovascular outcomes.