NORFOLK, Va. — The first Friday of February every year marks Go Red for Women Day. It's the American Heart Association’s effort to raise awareness about the greatest health threat to women: cardiovascular disease.
News 3’s Jen Lewis has been working to learn more about it for herself, her family and our community.
This year, the Heart Association is really zeroing in on maternal health because heart disease is the number one killer of new moms.
One condition that is quite common and impacts more than 3 million women a year is pre-eclampsia. It can become very serious.
Dr. Petra Lynch, a cardiologist with Sentara Health, works hand in hand with obstetricians to treat patients with the condition.
“Pre-eclampsia is a disease that comes during pregnancy, usually during the second or third trimester, and it’s associated with high blood pressure," Dr. Lynch explained.
Some of the symptoms include headache, vision changes, swelling and decreased urine output.
Left untreated, pre-eclampsia can be incredibly dangerous and lead to life-altering issues like heart failure, stroke, kidney damage and pre-term birth.
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When asked who is most at risk, Dr. Lynch answered, “There’s a genetic component to it, if you had pre-eclampsia or eclampsia in your family, if you have high blood pressure or diabetes or if you have metabolic syndrome, which means you’re a little bit overweight and if you have higher blood sugars.”
Dr. Lynch added that a woman who had pre-eclampsia has a threefold risk for stroke or heart attack in the future.
It is important to stay on top of preventative measures and be aware.
MeShall Simmons is the Executive Director of the American Heart Association. She is keenly aware of cardiovascular issues. including pre-eclampsia. When she was pregnant with her first child, she kept watching for anything that could be problematic.
“My pregnancy was relatively normal," MeShall said. "I did not have all of those telltale signs. I didn’t have hypertension in my pregnancy, and I didn’t have hypertension before I was pregnant. I was shocked because of my age and some other family history and risk factors. I just knew I was going to have pre-eclampsia in pregnancy, and I didn’t get it until after I delivered.”
Yes, after she delivered.
MeShall developed postpartum pre-eclampsia—something she had heard of, but it was not on her radar as most are under the impression pre-eclampsia is resolved after giving birth. Dr. Lynch told me that is not always the case.
“I’m most worried about you two to four weeks after your delivery because all these hormones change, your way to metabolize fluids and your blood pressure goes up and down," the doctor explained to MeShall. "So, for us, the most dangerous period after delivery is actually a month after your delivery.”
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When MeShall came home from the hospital, she didn’t feel right. Exhausted, out of breath, severe headaches and a lot of swelling. She attributed it all to being an overwhelmed new mom. When she started to feel faint, MeShall thought to take her blood pressure, and it was so high she could have had a stroke.
She wound up in the hospital for five days.
“We are, as women, are taught to push through and that is what I was trying to do until I was gonna pass out," MeShall told Jen. "I had pushed through enough, but if I had pushed through more, I would have pushed right to the grave.”
That is one of the main messages MeShall and the American Heart Association want to get across as we Go Red for Women: get connected. Don’t work to move through possible health issues. Stop and get help from medical professionals, from friends, and from your family.
“You have to, at some point, be empowered to say: 'I am the most important thing right here, I have to be okay,'" MeShall said. "We are pushing through in so many ways, but this is our health. It is okay to not be okay."
Women are often the caretakers, the nurturers, the mothers. Even so, they must look after their own well-being. Go Red for all the ladies in your life.
The American Heart Association has a great deal of resources compiled for us to use at goredforwomen.org
