Pregnancy and cardiovascular risk: A review focused on women with heart disease undergoing fertility treatment

A growing number of women with heart disease are considering pregnancy with the help of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Although an ever-increasing amount of knowledge exists on pregnancy in both congenital and acquired heart disease patients, little information is available on fertility treatments specifically in these women. This review seeks to provide an overview of the existing data and explores areas in need of research in this field. Changes in the hormonal environment seen in ART patients initially entail an increase then a decrease in blood pressure and peripheral vascular resistance. A shift in the thrombotic-thrombolytic balance towards coagulation is observed. Compared to normal pregnancy, ART-conceived pregnancies exhibit an increased adverse event rate for both the mother and foetus, including a higher incidence of hypertensive disorders and an increase in thromboembolic events during the first trimester. Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome in particular can cause dramatic haemodynamic changes and an increase in upper body thrombosis. Viewing these findings within the context of women with an underlying heart disease reveals indications that maternal and neonatal complications after fertility treatments are higher. Pre-pregnancy risk assessment is essential to identifying women with heart disease for whom ART may be dangerous and therefore inappropriate.