DETROIT – Friday is National Wear Red Day, an annual effort to raise awareness of women’s heart risks.
Some heart conditions can develop or worsen during pregnancy but may go undetected, even in the years that follow.
Pregnancy is essentially a months-long stress test. With so many major changes happening, serious heart conditions can go undiscovered.
Christi LeClair experienced fatigue and extreme swelling for years. It took nearly two decades to learn what was dismissed as normal pregnancy symptoms were actually warning signs of heart failure.
“Definitely been symptomatic since having my first child in 1996,” LeClair said.
Dr. Minisha Kochar said it’s common for heart issues to fly under the radar in women.
“The blood volume actually expands during pregnancy as well,” Kochar said. “So the amount of fluid that the pregnant woman’s body has to metabolize is a lot higher and puts strain on the heart. And so patients that had underlying heart disease that may or may not have been diagnosed, this becomes more manifest during pregnancy.”
There are also specific conditions that develop during this time or even years down the road.
Tears in the coronary arteries -– also known as spontaneous coronary artery dissection -- usually happen within six months of delivery and can result in sudden heart failure.
Also, pregnant women experiencing high blood pressure – preeclampsia – are at immediate risk of stroke and are twenty-five percent more likely to develop heart disease in the future.
Leclair continues to work with her cardiologists and encourages all pregnant and postpartum women to take a beat and get their hearts checked.
“It’s really a miracle I didn’t die 10 years ago of a heart attack or a stroke,” LeClair said.
These dangerous heart conditions can develop without symptoms in otherwise healthy women.
When symptoms do occur, they are often attributed to the symptoms of late pregnancy or the fatigue of having a newborn at home, so it’s critical to talk to your doctor about your risks and any signs you’re experiencing.
More information can be found here.
More: Heart Month