arrythmia after pregnancy

[lovely2]

Hi,
I have been visiting the forum for years now with the same complaint. . .PVCs!!! The PVCs started right after I had my first period at the age of 13. Now at 27 years old and two kids later, the arrythmia is still here and has increased after the birth of my last child who is now two years old.  Doc says that my heart is fine, but having another child is not recommended because my ejection fraction decreased to 50% after second child. I take 200 mg of acebutolol twice a day for PVCs. My question is, is it possible to live with these things? I constantly worry about dropping dead. I know that my risk for SCD has increased, but by how much? What would you say my prognosis for a normal life is? I am worried too death. Oh, and how is it safe to engage in physical activity with a 50% EF.

[Ericaand4kids]

Just wanted to say my EF is 50% two months after delivering my 4th child (mine all started w/in 2 days of having baby). And my cardiologist has not limited my activity at all. I am on coreg(alpha/beta blocker) and an ace inhibitor.He says to do what I feel comfortable with. Sometimes I have chest pains, but they are not related to activity. I do not have PVC's though, and am not familiar with that. I even have a girlfriend who has an EF of 25% (not related to pregnancy) and her doc says she can do whatever she feels like! Then again she has no outward symptoms which I guess is kind of strange for such a low EF. I know she walked 3 miles the other day =)!  Of course I would check with your doctor, but if doc says it is okay then I am sure it is. HTH!

[Cleveland Clinic]

PVCs are only thought to cause a decreased ejection fraction if they occur with great frequency ( such as 30-40% of the time). Apart from that your cardiomyopahty is secondary to other causes, and is possibly ischemic, but given your age more likely not. It may be secondary to post partum cardiomyopathy, but it is difficult to make this diagnosis.
Even with an EF of 50%, you need nothing more than a beta blocker for isolated PVCs. They are not predictive of an increased risk of sudden cardiac death, provided your EF is greater than 40%.
To answer your question about safety of exercise with your decreased ejection fraction, I would like to know the cause of decreased ejection fraction. If you are having chest pain or pressure with exertion then I would say you need an evaluation for this. If not, then you should limit yourself to symptoms such as the ones mentioned above.