M.D. Fifty years ago, doctors regularly told women with heart disease to avoid pregnancy.
Pregnancy puts tremendous strains on the heart and circulatory system.
By the time the baby is due, blood volume has increased by up to 50 percent, meaning the heart must beat faster and harder to move all that blood. It is essential that women with heart disease discuss their illness with their doctors before becoming pregnant. It is also important to discuss with the doctor the possibility of passing on a congenital heart defect to the child. Between four and five percent of children born to women with significant congenital heart disease inherit the condition. With some disorders the rate can climb to 50 percent.