What Is cardio-obstetrics?
What Is cardio-obstetrics?Cardio-obstetrics is a medical specialty focused on caring for individuals with pre-existing heart disease during pregnancy, planning to get pregnant, or who have just given birth. Experts in both cardiology and maternal-fetal medicine (MFM), or high-risk pregnancy care, work together to protect your health and your baby’s health.
Here is an overview of what cardio-obstetrics involves:
- Heart care for pregnancy. You will learn how pregnancy affects your heart and what you may need to stay healthy.
- A multidisciplinary team-based approach. Cardiologists, MFM specialists, OBs, anesthesiologists, and nurses all work together to keep a close eye on your heart.
- Support for people with known or suspected heart issues. This includes congenital heart disease, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy, valve problems, high blood pressure, or other cardiac risk factors.
- Care across every stage. Whether you’re planning a pregnancy, already pregnant, preparing for delivery, or recovering postpartum, the multidisciplinary team helps manage your heart health at each step.
Taking care of your heart is essential, especially if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant. If you have pre-existing heart disease or risk factors, your heart needs closer monitoring before, during, and after pregnancy. Sometimes, pregnancy can lead to new heart symptoms or cause existing heart issues to become more challenging to manage.
Your healthcare provider may recommend you have a cardio-obstetrics team, which is specialized monitoring or coordinated care through a multidisciplinary team, including cardiologists, obstetricians (OBs), and other pregnancy specialists, to help keep you and your baby safe. Most individuals can follow a standard prenatal care plan, but if you need extra support, the NewYork-Presbyterian cardio-obstetrics team can help create a plan just for you.
Is pregnancy safe if I have a heart condition?
Is Pregnancy Safe?Pregnancy puts an extra strain on your heart because your body has to support both you and your baby. Blood volume increases, your heart beats faster, causing your cardiovascular system to work harder overall.
For an individual with a healthy heart, these changes — such as increased blood volume and a faster heartbeat—are manageable. However, if you have a pre-existing heart condition, this extra strain can feel more challenging.
With the help of a cardio-obstetrics team, you can have a safe pregnancy. Your team will assess your heart condition closely and create a personalized plan for you.
How pregnancy affects your heart
How pregnancy affects your heart- More blood to pump: Your heart has to pump up to 50% more blood to support both you and your baby.
- Faster heart rate: Your heart beats more often during pregnancy to handle the extra volume, which can feel like a flutter or extra strain.
- Blood pressure checks: Blood pressure changes are common and need to be managed carefully, especially if you have pre-existing hypertension or heart issues.
- Hormonal effects: Pregnancy hormones can affect how your heart and blood vessels function.
- Fluid and swelling: The body tends to retain more fluid during pregnancy, which can lead to swelling in the legs or feeling slightly short of breath.
- Managing risks: For pre-existing conditions like arrhythmias, the care team will carefully monitor for signs of irregular heartbeats or unexpected fluid buildup.
Who needs specialized heart care during pregnancy?
Who needs specialized heart care during pregnancy?You may need a cardio-obstetrics team if your pregnancy is placing extra stress on your heart or if you already have a pre-existing heart condition. Specialized, coordinated care helps prevent complications and keeps both you and your baby safe throughout your pregnancy.
Our team, which consists of cardiologists, MFM specialists, OBs, anesthesiologists, and nurses, ensures your heart health and pregnancy are managed accordingly.
Specialized monitoring is required for individuals with the following conditions and symptoms:
- Pre-existing heart conditions. Individuals born with heart disease, or who have valve problems, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, or a history of heart surgery.
- New or worsening symptoms. Individuals who experience new or worsening shortness of breath, chest discomfort, unusual swelling, or dizziness.
- Heart palpitations. Frequent or intense fluttering, skipped beats, or a racing heartbeat that feels different from normal pregnancy changes.
- Sustained high heart rate. A consistently fast heart rate, especially if accompanied by fatigue or light-headedness, may be a sign that the heart is under strain.
- Past pregnancy complications. A history of preeclampsia, high blood pressure, or heart failure in a previous pregnancy.
- Other high-risk health conditions. Diabetes, kidney disease, autoimmune disease, and obesity can significantly add stress to the heart during pregnancy.
This content has been reviewed by the following medical editors.