Heart Conditions and Pregnancy: Warning Signs and When to Seek Care
Heart Conditions and Pregnancy: Warning Signs and When to Seek Care
Growing a fetus is hard work on your body—and your heart. As your baby grows, your blood volume increases by 30–50%, and your heart beats faster to circulate the extra blood throughout your body. Sudden blood pressure fluctuations during labor and delivery can also put significant stress on the heart. This extra demand can lead to a heart condition during or after pregnancy—or it could exacerbate an existing condition.
“Most patients tolerate these physiologic changes without any complication,” says Ann Bruno, MD, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist at University of Utah Health. “But for patients who have a health condition or a known cardiac condition, those added stressors on the heart can become more serious.”
In fact, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in pregnant and postpartum women, accounting for 26.5% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S., according to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG).
Normal Pregnancy Symptoms vs. Warning Signs
Pregnancy comes with many symptoms that can feel alarming but are often harmless. So, how do you know what’s normal—and what’s not?
Common (Usually Normal) Symptoms
You may notice:
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Minor shortness of breath, especially with physical activity (such as walking up a flight of stairs)
- Fatigue
- Minor headache that improves with medication
- Temporary heart palpitations
“Most of the time, those symptoms are benign and a normal part of pregnancy,” Bruno says. “Still, I encourage patients to bring them up with their provider so we can review them in clinic and determine if it’s something dangerous or abnormal.”
Warning Signs: When to Seek Care Right Away
Some symptoms may point to a serious heart condition. If you experience any of the following symptoms, don’t wait—seek urgent or emergency care right away:
- Fainting
- Chest pain
- Sudden or severe swelling of the extremities
- Sudden or severe headache that doesn’t improve
- Racing heart or heart palpitations that won’t go away
- Blurred vision, light sensitivity, or seeing spots or auras
- Trouble breathing
- High blood pressure
When Pregnancy Affects Your Heart Health
Pregnancy can increase your risk for certain cardiovascular conditions—even if you’ve never had heart problems before.
Conditions that can develop during pregnancy include:
- Hypertensive disorders, such as preeclampsia or gestational hypertension.
- Peripartum cardiomyopathy, which is a serious form of heart failure that develops during the last few weeks of a pregnancy or a few months postpartum.
- Arrhythmias, or abnormal heart rates, during pregnancy are common and mostly benign, but can lead to life-threatening complications like cardiac arrest or stroke.
- Valvular heart disease is most commonly congenital, meaning you’re born with it, but can sometimes be acquired during pregnancy. It means one of the heart’s valves is not functioning properly.
Your doctor will make a diagnosis based on your symptoms and personal medical history and may perform an echocardiogram or electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG).
Planning Ahead: Protecting Your Heart Before Pregnancy
If you have congenital heart disease or a known cardiac condition, planning ahead with your care team can make a big difference.
“For patients with a known heart condition, we recommend that they are seen by a high-risk OB and a cardiologist,” Bruno says. “A preconception consultation with cardiology and maternal-fetal medicine can help us understand the risk before they even get pregnant.”
Coordinated Cardiac and Pregnancy Care
University of Utah Health is expanding care for pregnant patients with heart conditions.
A new cardio-obstetrics clinic, opening in Summer 2026, will provide comprehensive care for patients with heart conditions who are pregnant or hoping to become pregnant.
“The goal of this new clinic is to streamline care,” Bruno says. “This allows for more consolidation between care services, so a patient could have a maternal screening echocardiogram and see their cardiologist and maternal-fetal medicine doctor on the same day.”
This team-based approach allows providers to:
- Collaborate in real time
- Catch concerns early
- Reduce the number of appointments for patients
Understanding what’s normal and what’s not during pregnancy can help determine when to ask questions and seek medical attention. With multidisciplinary options like the cardio-obstetrics clinic at U of U Health, you can access the best care in one place.
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