Maternal Cardiovascular Health Post-Dobbs

Pregnancy is increasingly associated with morbidity and mortality in the United States. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of maternal mortality with significant racial disparities, particularly among non-Hispanic Black individuals. Pregnancy is often regarded as a cardiovascular stress test, with increases in cardiac output, plasma volume, and heart rate. Given the central role of cardiovascular disease in driving the U.S. maternal health crisis, clinicians must be equipped to diagnose and manage cardiovascular conditions in individuals of reproductive age, provide preconception counseling, and formulate a contraceptive plan for those with conditions that pose the highest risk during pregnancy. Abortion is an essential therapeutic option to reduce the risk of maternal mortality among high-risk pregnant patients. It remains the responsibility of everyone caring for pregnancy-capable individuals to continue to work on an individual, societal, and national level to improve maternal health in the United States.