Can Pregnancy Increase Certain Types Of Heart Attacks?
"It may be the hormones, it may be the high (blood) volume that pregnancy causes to circulate in the woman's system. The blood vessels in pregnancy become more fragile, so they are more prone to be damaged from any risk factors."
That's also why pregnant women are more likely to have different types of heart attacks, said Hameed, a professor of cardiology and obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California, Irvine.
Most heart attacks are caused by a fatty buildup inside the inner walls of coronary arteries that blocks blood flow. But for pregnant women, a common cause is a tear in the lining of a coronary blood vessel, something considered rare in non-pregnant patients.
Hameed said the study should heighten awareness among both doctors and patients, since women tend to wave away troubling symptoms. For example, pregnant women may dismiss one particularly common heart attack sign as heartburn.
"But if they're having chest pain, it could actually be a red flag for them to go see a doctor," she said.
"The biggest gap in the care of pregnant women with heart disease is that we don't put two and two together," she said. "These are the things that need to be conveyed to the general public."