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 Cardio Obstetrics: What is it?  | MedStar Health DocTalk

Pregnancy is often described as a natural stress test for the body, and especially for the heart. In this episode of MedStar Health DocTalk, host Debra Schindler sits down with cardiologist and cardio-obstetrics specialist Dr. Minhal Makshood to explore the growing field of cardio obstetrics and why pregnancy can reveal important clues about a woman’s long-term cardiovascular health.

Dr. Makshood explains how conditions such as preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, gestational diabetes, and peripartum cardiomyopathy can affect both mother and baby, and why these pregnancy-related complications may increase a woman’s risk of future heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and other cardiovascular conditions.

The conversation also highlights the importance of prenatal counseling for women with existing heart conditions, the role of multidisciplinary care teams, and why the postpartum period—sometimes called the “fourth trimester”—is a critical time for monitoring heart health.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What cardio obstetrics is and why the specialty is rapidly growing
• How pregnancy can uncover previously undiagnosed heart conditions
• The warning signs of heart complications during and after pregnancy
• Why preeclampsia and gestational diabetes are more than temporary pregnancy complications
• How pregnancy history can help predict future cardiovascular risk
• The importance of coordinated care between cardiologists, obstetricians, and maternal-fetal medicine specialists
• What every woman should know about protecting her heart before, during, and after pregnancy

Whether you're planning a pregnancy, currently expecting, recently delivered a baby, or simply interested in women's heart health, this episode provides valuable insights that could have lifelong implications.

If you have a heart condition, experienced complications during pregnancy, or want to learn more about protecting your cardiovascular health before, during, or after pregnancy, schedule an appointment with the Women's Health and Cardio Obstetrics Clinic at MedStar Health. Call 301-570-7404 to learn more or make an appointment.

Guest: Dr. Minhal Makshood, Cardiologist and Cardio-Obstetrics Specialist
Host: Debra Schindler

For more episodes of MedStar Health DocTalk, go to medstarhealth.org/doctalk.