February 6, 2019
February is the season of love making it the perfect time to focus on heart health. This is especially important for pregnant women. From the moment a woman gets pregnant, a myriad of changes take place inside their body. The amount of blood in your body doubles, your heart pumps more blood per minute, your heart rate increases while your blood pressure drops due to a change in hormones. For most women, this strain is natural and should not be cause for concern, but over the last 10 years there has been a dramatic increase in heart attacks among pregnant women.
Women who are both pregnant and obese can cause health related complications including diabetes, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), hypertension, and other diseases. Another contributing factor to women having heart attacks is age. Now that women are having babies as they are older, that also increases the risk of a heart attack. Diet and exercise can play a major factor in minimizing your risk for heart attacks, as can limiting tobacco and alcohol while pregnant. However before trying to conceive, check with your health care provider.