Coronary Artery Disease and Pregnancy
Fortunately, it is rare for a woman of child-bearing age—by definition, premenopausal—to have arteriosclerotic heart disease, but it is possible and, naturally, it is mote common among older pregnant women. Any woman who has had a documented heart attack or has had to have bypass surgery should be advised against becoming Pregnant. These women should consider other ways of becoming a mother—adoption, surrogacy, fostering.
During pregnancy the mother’s blood volume is greatly increased, to keep up with the need to supply oxygen and nutrients to the fetus as well as to her own body. This greater blood volume increases the work of the heart from very early in the pregnancy and may make a woman with ischemic heart disease more susceptible to further heart damage.
Rarely, a woman not known to have preexisting heart disease will have a heart attack during pregnancy. Sadly, a heart attack during pregnancy often results in death. Because of this danger, treatment must be aimed at saving the life of the mother, no matter what the stage of gestation.
