​The spectrum of
cardiovascular disease affecting women in pregnancy and postpartum is changing
and differs between countries. In the western world, the risk of cardiovascular
disease in pregnancy has increased due to the increasing age at the first
pregnancy and the worldwide obesity epidemic leading also to early diabetes and
hypertension. In addition the treatment of congenital heart disease has
improved leading to an increased number of women with residual heart disease
reaching childbearing age. In the western world maternal heart disease is now
the major cause of maternal death during pregnancy. In the developing world
rheumatic heart disease and the cardiomyopathies dominate. Those women often
need anticoagulation as they might have had a valve replacement or formed a
thrombus in the left heart. Drugs during pregnancy and the breastfeeding period
is a complex subject and there is a profound shortage of evidence based
recommendations. As drug treatment in pregnancy concern the mother and the
fetus optimum treatment of both must be targeted.
















This book aims at discussing the most important indications of drug
usage in pregnancy and postpartum with the aim of weighing the potential risk
of a drug and the possible benefit against each other.​