Understanding Fertility Therapy and Heart Disease Risk

Conditions that affect the heart are broadly called heart disease. Conditions that involve blocked or narrowed blood vessels often cause chest pain and stroke that can lead to a heart attack. These conditions also affect the heart’s valves, rhythm, and muscle.

What are the Symptoms of Heart Disease?

The most common symptoms of heart disease depend on the type of heart disease a person has, and the symptoms differ in men and women. Women are likely to have fatigue, shortness of breath, and chest discomfort; while men are likely to have immense pain and tightness in the chest. For both, starting a healthy lifestyle is the best method to treat or prevent the different forms of heart disease.

There are also several elements that could affect a woman’s fertility and according to medical doctors, there is a heart disease risk that is likely to develop in pregnant women.

Heart Disease and Pregnancy

Women who are already capable of bearing a child are more prone to cardiovascular diseases, also known as CVD, cardiovascular disease. Due to underlying heart conditions, they normally occur in the maternal circulation that might affect and change fetal and maternal health. Researchers claim that there is a connection between the two, but in rare cases, some pregnancies tend to have vascular complications without a known cause.

Diseases of the heart and blood vessel system are among several cardiovascular diseases. It is crucial for a woman who is pregnant to watch for cardiovascular symptoms even if she is in the best condition for pregnancy.

Pregnancy Affects the Heart

It is possible that complications during pregnancy are a sign that the woman has an underlying problem with the function of her heart. During pregnancy, the heart pumps more blood to all organs, and there is a possibility of blood clots because a person’s blood pressure is lowered. However, to be able to handle the increase in blood flow, the blood vessels dilate, protecting women from excessive bleeding during childbirth.

Changes in the heart and blood vessels require the heart to pump harder, and these changes are considered normal during pregnancy to ensure that the fetus will get enough nutrients and oxygen.

The following are changes to expect:

• Increase in the volume of blood
• The amount of blood increases by 50 percent during the first trimester of pregnancy.
• Increase in blood pumped by the heart each minute
• The cardiac output increases by 40 percent because of the increase in blood volume.
• Heart rate increases
• The heart rate usually increases by 15 beats per minute during pregnancy.
• Blood pressure decreases
• Blood pressure can drop due to hormonal changes, and it decreases up to 10mmHg during pregnancy since there is more blood going toward the uterus.

Fertility Therapy and Heart Disease

Women who are at risk of cardiovascular disease or other undiagnosed medical issues undergo fertility treatment. There are many fertility therapy options and it is best to understand each option and choose what is best for you because not all treatments are advisable for everyone.

As part of the General Reproductive Assistance and Vascular Illness Study (GRAVID), the first large, population-based study to assess the long-term risk of CVD following a fertility therapy, researchers found that among women giving birth after fertility treatment, the cardiovascular disease risk was reduced by about 50 percent compared to women who had a child without treatment. However, the study found that fertility treatment increases the risk of short-term pregnancy problems such as maternal metabolic syndrome (gestational diabetes and hypertension). Fertility therapy is known to increase the likelihood of gestational diabetes and hypertension and may cause endothelial dysfunction in women with ovarian hyperstimulation. This may result in women being at higher risk for the development of future heart disease, but this theory has not been thoroughly investigated.

Lifestyle Changes

Before undergoing therapy, ensure that your overall health is stable and that you are physically fit for it. To avoid complications, eat complex carbohydrates, fruit and vegetables, and increase your fiber intake. Avoid consuming artificial sweeteners, preservatives, sugar, caffeine and alcohol. Reduce alcohol intake, and drink at least two liters of water a day. Obesity is a factor in people with heart disease, which is why a woman must maintain a healthy weight, especially if she is pregnant.

Before delivery, it is important to ensure that you are aware of the symptoms and long-term cardiovascular risks. Consult a medical doctor and do medical testing and screenings such as mammograms and pap smears during the process. A physical exam should be done, too. Furthermore, a strong and healthy lifestyle can be maintained by practicing self-control, having a good diet, getting regular exercise, staying away from or quitting smoking, and not drinking alcoholic beverages.

Medical doctors strongly recommend that women get their health checked before undergoing any therapy. During prenatal appointments, a health care professional normally checks a woman’s blood pressure and checks for possible blood pressure changes. Monitor the blood pressure and cholesterol levels at all times.