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Heart Disease (Expert Forum)
beta-blockers and pregnancy?????????
This forum is for questions and support regarding heart issues such as: Angina, Angioplasty, Arrhythmia, Bypass Surgery, Cardiomyopathy, Coronary Artery Disease, Defibrillator, Heart Attack, Heart Disease, High Blood Pressure, Mitral Valve Prolapse, Pacemaker, PAD, Stenosis, Stress Tests.
beta-blockers and pregnancy?????????
by lisa__0__0, Nov 04, 1998 12:00AM
i am 26 and i am 4mo pregnant. my ob sent me to a cardiologist for an irregular heartbeat. i've always had isolated incidents of fluttering, shortness of breath, etc. my doctor told me when i was a teen that i was probably hyperventilating. it got worse when i was pregnant 6 years ago, but i wrote it off as anxiety induced hyperventilating. today my ob was concerned because she could hear it and it has been very constant. the cardoilogist wants me to start beta-blockers immediately. i don't understand what my problem is. all i know is that i have a murmur with palpitations aggrevated by the increased blood flow during pregnancy and that i have something else that he caught by hearing two clicks between my heartbeats. do you know what this is and why i have it? i've looked everywhere for a description of beta blockers and how they work, but i've found nothing that i understand. can you describe something to me in an understandable analogy? i go back in two days for an echo cardio gram. please, excuse the spelling in this message. thanks!!!!! lisa
Doctor's Answer
by CCF CARDIO MD APS, Nov 04, 1998 12:00AM
_
Dear Lisa,
I can not even guess as to what your problem could be, yet I can say that it sounds
as if an echocardiogram is the perfect next step. This will tell your doctor
about the different valves, the flow of blood through the heart and much more. At the
very least it will help your cardiologist to better understand the murmur s/he hears on
the physical exam. Do not fret until all the testing is done, especially because
pregnant women are very likely to develop murmurs of pregnancy that are benign as well as
develop arrhythmias that most often need no specific treatment. Before you take any medications
during pregnancy, ask the doctor who prescribes them the potential risks to your fetus/baby if they
exist, and then discuss the drug with your OB/GYN physician before starting.
I hope this has been somewhat helpful, if you have any further questions, say after the results of the
echocardiogram, then please feel free to write back. Good Luck.
Information provided in the heart forum is intended for general medical informational purposes only, actual
diagnosis and treatment can only be made by your physician(s).
