Pre-existing DCM & pregnancy

[aprl264]

I am 28 years old and have familial DCM. I've seen a great deal of information on dangers of pregnancy with PPCM, however I'm finding it difficult to find information on DCM & pregnancy. Can you give me any information, what are the risks, etc?

[carrob]

I've just been down this road, and I've hit a brick wall..........and we're not going to try.

From the information my docs have given me.........it all depends. What they truly want to see is full recovery (high EF) and the ability to come off of your meds (if possible).

I would love to visit with you more........

What is your current EF?
How old are you?

[JAMESFETT]

one of the most pertinent articles to look at would be:

Bernstein PS, Magriples U. Cardiomyopathy in pregnancy: a retrospective study. American Journal of Perinatology 2001; 18:163-168.

I personally have no experience with Familial DCM, only PPCM. bEST REGARDS.

James

[Mindyt]

My diagnosis was made 9 months after my son was born so I don't meet the criteria for PPCM but Idiopathic DCM. I have not found too much but I do have a couple of articles on pregnancy and heart disease. I think they are older than the article that Dr. Fett recommended. There truely is not much out there about it....it is frustrating. Please let me know if you would like me to e-mail them to you directly.
Mindy

[JAMESFETT]

Mindy, Elkayam's recent article in Circulation addresses the issue of timing of diagnosis of PPCM, in which he highlights those who present with heart failure before the accepted time window for diagnosis. Regardless of that, it is "pregnancy-associated". The same is true for those who present with heart failure close after the accepted time framework; it may well still be "pregnancy-associated." The fact that you have had recovery of left ventricular systolic function also speaks in favor of a PPCM diagnosis. Aside from pregnancy, many forms of IDCM and PPCM may be very close to the same thing, we are moving towards being able to better define both.

James

[Mindyt]

Dr. Fett,
How would I get a hold of Elkayam's article? Can it be found on the internet or is there a way to request a copy from somewhere? A perinatal specialist that I saw recently indicated that she felt my cardiomyopathy was pregnancy related. She was the first person to somewhat confirm what I have been thinking....that I had a late diagnosis of PPCM. I would be interested in reading that article regarding the timing of diagnosis of PPCM.
Thank-you
Mindy

[JAMESFETT]

Just do a "Google" search for "Entrez PubMed", on the search line at the top, type in author's name, "Elkayam u" or "peripartum cardiomyopathy", that will take you to articles for which you can pull down the abstract. Once you have the abstract you can request full article, pay-per-article, or you can take the reference to a medical library and request a full copy.

James

[Junny]

I am 28 years old and have familial DCM. I've seen a great deal of information on dangers of pregnancy with PPCM, however I'm finding it difficult to find information on DCM & pregnancy. Can you give me any information, what are the risks, etc?

Hi Aprl264,
The only information I can give you because I have DCM and I'm 8 months pregnant, is to talk with your cardiologist first and see if he/she agrees with you getting pregnant at this time. I'm doing great with my pregnancy and I have had DCM since I was 4 1/2 yrs. old. My cardiologist has me going to a high risk clinic because of DCM, you may go more to the OB doctor more often than most other women that you may know with out this disease. I also had to see my Cardio more frequently as well to make sure everything is fine with my heart. My heart has a small Mitral Valve Leakage as of Sept. 1, well that's when it was dx. You may be having a c-section if that is what your Cardiologist believes is the best for your condition. I was going to have a vaginal but now with this leakage vaginal delivery may put too much strain on my heart and cause some problems. If your on an ACE Inhib. they may take you off of it because of the baby's kidneys will be affected. I was on Lisinporil and in my 3rd month I was taken off of it for that reason and with my Lanoxin I'm still on it. The best person to talk with is your Cardiologist though he/she knows your heart's function and how well it's doing. I hope everything goes smoothly if you can have a baby. Take Care and Let us know how everything turns out. I hope I helped in someway of answering your question.