I am a 33 yr old woman and mother a beautiful 2 year old son that developed PVC's during the last 2 months of pregnancy- July, 2000. I and my doctors were hoping that they would go away once the baby was delivered, but they are still with me. I had an echo and wore the holter monitor once right after the baby and then once last year when they increased in intensity. The echo was fine as were both holters- showed PVC's which I was told were benign. I have learned there is nothing I can do about them and I just live with them and they are a part of my everyday life- somedays better than others, but just bothersome. I am scared that when I become pregnant again, they will increase tremendously or develop into something more serious, so here are my questions.
1. When I had a cold 2 weeks ago, the PVC's were so much more frequent and intense. I am assuming from stress on my body. Pregnancy is such a huge stress- in your opinion, are they going to increase?
2. What are the chances of this developing into ventricular tachycardia while pregnant? At one point at the end of my pregnancy, my rate got so high (from anxiety about PVC's) that they thought I might have this. Thank goodness, it was a sinus tachycardia. Is this a real threat?
3. What part does sleep deprivation play in PVC's? They developed pretty much when I was completely uncomfortable in pregnancy and couldn't sleep. My son is a terrible sleeper and I have not slept through the night since July, 2000. When I get a pretty good night sleep, they do seem to be better.
Thank you so much for your help!
Lorraine