I have known for years that I should be conscious of my heart health, my maternal Grandpa had heart disease which he finally passed away from. When I was pregnant with my son my doctor heard a murmur over my heart and referred me for an echocardiogram, (ultrasound of the heart). It was found that one of my Aortic valve cusps (last valve leaving the heart) wasn't working properly. What did this mean for me and my unborn child? Well since this is not hereditary my baby was safe, whew! For me? I will need to get a valve replacement in 30ish years. There are a merge other areas of my heart that are not functioning quite the way they should as well. Once I calmed down and was able to think about things a bit clearer, I realized that this had not affected me the first 30 years of my life so I would continue what I was doing for the next 30 as well.
At 7 months pregnant my Dad had a heart charge and also had an echo done. I was amazed to see (I am an ultrasound technologist) that our hearts functions were quite similar. This was an eye opener to me. Now I have heart disease on both sides of my house and my own heart isn't pumping quite up to snuff, hmm time to take things a miniature more seriously.
Heart disease in women in the Untied States and Canada is the whole one killer. This fact is becoming more and more known and women are becoming more aware of the symptoms of heart disease which differ from that of mens. They seem to be much more vague than that of mens symptoms and are therefore over looked. Here are a few symptoms to keep a look out for:
- chest pain, this can comprise burning, tightness, discomfort, pressure, fullness. Anyone that is not normal for you to feel. This pain may spread, up the neck, down one or both arms or in the chest area.
-You may get weak all over, pale, sweaty, nausea, indigestion, short of breath
-Become fearful or deny what is even going on.
The first line of defense: awareness. Next: eat well and exercise, we all know this, beat it before it even starts to be a problem. As an ultrasound technologist who does echoes, I see all ages, shapes, backgrounds and fitness levels of patients who come in for this exam. From an elderly women in Icu to a young man who plays hockey twice a week. So why is heart disease such a coarse occurrence now? well, our diets are not what they used to be, most of us do not so physical work/ practice and how many of us had mothers who smoked while pregnant with us? Genetics also plays a factor. Lets get back to the smoking mothers. I have heard of studies on newborn babies of mothers who smoke, these babies already have thickened arterial walls! So they are already on their way to having heart issues, they are already that much closer to a heart charge than a baby whose mum naturally doesn't smoke! I think this is huge! Depending on the lifestyle this child will have will depend on when this will come to be a problem.
This is a just a brief talk about heart disease and what to look for. If you have any questions, your house doctor is the best man to ask.
Please remember, as parents and before we even come to be parents our actions affect our children. Those warnings are out there for a reason.
Reference: communal health division of Canada
