Maternal Heart Disease in Pregnancy

Pregnancy can put a tremendous strain on your body if you have a congenital heart condition, cardiomyopathy, or other heart condition. Virtua’s maternal-fetal medicine team brings together high-risk pregnancy, cardiac, and OB anesthesia specialists before and during pregnancy to help you plan for a healthy delivery.

Types of Heart Disease in Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a stressful time for your heart. Your blood volume increases by up to 40% to nourish your growing baby. In addition, your heart has to pump 50% harder than usual in the third trimester and 200% harder during labor.

While these heart changes are a normal part of pregnancy, they can worsen your condition if you have heart disease.

You might have an existing heart condition before pregnancy or can develop one during pregnancy. These conditions may include:

Congenital heart disease: This type of heart condition is one that you’re born with and that you may have been treated for your whole life. This could include heart rhythm disorders (arrhythmia), heart valve disorders, and other heart defects.

Cardiomyopathy: Cardiomyopathy is a condition that affects your heart muscle, making it difficult for your heart to pump blood efficiently to your body.

Heart valve disease: Your heart valves ensure that blood flows properly through your heart. Heart valve disease occurs when they’re not working correctly. These diseases range from mild to severe, including mitral valve and aortic valve issues.

Aortic disease: The aorta is the largest blood vessel in your body and is crucial for delivering blood from the heart to the rest of your body. Pregnancy can worsen aortic disease as your blood volume increases and puts more pressure on the aorta. Some examples of genetic aortic disorders include Marfan syndrome and vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Heart Disease in Pregnancy Treatment at Virtua

During pregnancy, women who have heart disease risks or a heart condition face unique challenges. These conditions can put an extra strain on your body, worsening your condition and putting you at risk for preterm birth and other complications.

Virtua’s maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) team provides expert guidance and care for women who have heart disease, including:

Pre-pregnancy counseling

We discuss your condition and the risks related to pregnancy and delivery. We also advise you on optimizing your health before pregnancy, including getting your preexisting risk factors or heart condition under control, improving your diet and exercise, and quitting smoking, if needed.

Specialized care for managing heart disease during pregnancy

Virtua’s MFM team coordinates your care, so you meet with all of the specialists involved in your care in one visit. The specialists work with you and your obstetrician to develop a pregnancy plan that might include medication management, frequent ultrasounds to monitor your health, and a scheduled delivery. These specialists can consist of cardiologists, pulmonologists, and anesthesiologists.

Trusted care for you and your baby

When you’re in our care, everyone on the MFM team, from the doctors, nurses, and sonographers to the front-desk staff, spends a lot of time with you. We listen, treat, and support you like you’re part of our family.

Our team provides hope to women with heart conditions who want to but don’t think they can have a child. With the proper care and planning, you can look forward to having a healthy pregnancy and baby.