Cardiovascular Diseases & Pregnancy

Heart Health During Pregnancy

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) provides comprehensive prenatal (pregnancy) care for expecting moms and babies. Our maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) team provides care for high-risk pregnancies, including those with cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease before, during and after pregnancy can pose unique challenges for you and your baby.

Preconception Consultation

Whenever possible, we encourage those with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions to begin planning with your medical team before conception. Preconception planning helps you prepare in these ways:

• Better understand the risks of pregnancy
• Optimize your health before getting pregnant
• Prepare to manage your condition safely

How Pregnancy Affects Heart Health

Pregnancy puts a strain on your cardiovascular system. By your third trimester, the amount of blood in your body increases by as much as 50%. This means the heart must work harder to pump blood. It’s also normal for heart rate to increase.

These normal changes during pregnancy can complicate pre-existing cardiovascular conditions and — in some cases — cause new cardiovascular issues to develop. Managing weight and underlying conditions — such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol — can significantly reduce your risk of problems. It can help ensure that you and your baby stay safe and healthy.

Cardiovascular Conditions We Treat

Pre-existing cardiovascular conditions may include these and others:

• Abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias)
• Acquired (developed over time) heart disease
• Congenital (present at birth) heart disease and defects
• Coronary artery disease
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Vascular disease

Sometimes, these or other cardiovascular conditions may begin for the first time during pregnancy. 

Personalized Heart Care During Pregnancy

Your care team will put together a prenatal plan that may include advanced cardiovascular imaging that is safe during pregnancy. In addition to prenatal care, cardiac and obstetric anesthesiologists will guide your delivery plan to prepare for specific scenarios based on your personal medical history and conditions.

All of our MFM specialists are experts in caring for those with complicated medical conditions before and during pregnancy. Together with our multidisciplinary clinic partners, we can coordinate care with your primary obstetrician to provide the highest level of care for you and your baby.