INFORMATION FOR WOMEN WHO HAVE DYSPNEA DURING PREGNANCY OR BREASTFEEDING

What is dyspnea during pregnancy?

Dyspnea is the medical term for difficulty breathing. There are hundreds of different causes of dyspnea, consisting of a plethora of diseases and injuries. We cannot cover all such conditions in this report. Still, it’s appropriate to present an overview of causes and the context of dyspnea in the setting of pregnancy and the post-partum period when you are nursing. For women in their reproductive years, who are pregnant, causes of dyspnea that need to be recognized immediately in particular as they are dangerous and can begin during pregnancy include pulmonary embolism (PE) and a handful of cardiovascular conditions, namely acute coronary syndrome (ACS), peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), and aortic dissection. There are also chronic conditions that can change during pregnancy, such as asthma. Plus, there are conditions that can increase demand on your heart and lung function, namely anemia, of which there are many types, but one type, iron deficiency anemia, is fairly common in pregnancy. Less common are neurological conditions that can cause breathing difficulty. Additionally, a pregnant woman (just like a non-pregnant person) can suffer a chest injury, resulting in a pneumothorax (air in the chest cavity), causing the lung to collapse.