Cardio-Obstetrics Program

Specialists at NYU Langone’s Cardio-Obstetrics Program are dedicated to supporting your heart health, from preconception to pregnancy and through labor and delivery, the post-partum period, and beyond.

We provide heart disease prevention, including screening for early heart disease, risk factor control, lifestyle counseling, and personalized cardiovascular care. Our specialists in obstetrics, maternal–fetal medicine, adult congenital heart disease, cardiovascular disease prevention, and cardiology work together to create personalized care plans for people who plan to become pregnant or are already expecting. Our experts also collaborate to provide cardiovascular care after childbirth. 

Left unmanaged, cardiovascular disease can be life-threatening during pregnancy, putting both the pregnant person and baby at risk. Between 10 and 15 percent of pregnancies have at least one complication linked to the accelerated development of heart disease following pregnancy—our goal is to reduce the frequency and impact of these complications. We also recognize that people of color are especially vulnerable during and after pregnancy and provide them with a supportive care environment tailored to their needs. Our providers follow a nondiscrimination policy.

Preconception Cardiovascular and Obstetric Care

We offer counseling to people who are concerned about their heart health and want to become pregnant. Before pregnancy, our maternal–fetal medicine specialists provide insight into your cardiovascular risks and their management during pregnancy and after childbirth. 

Our cardiologists offer a preconception cardiac evaluation that includes a transthoracic echocardiogram, which uses ultrasound to create images of the heart, and stress testing, which assesses how the heart works during physical activity, helps guide treatment plans. They also screen for conditions such as high blood pressure, lipid disorders like high cholesterol, and coronary artery disease. 

Our goal is to prevent and proactively manage cardiovascular problems before you become pregnant. We create care plans that may include lifestyle modifications such as stress reduction, exercise, and eating a heart-healthy diet. Medications that are safe to use before and during pregnancy may also be part of your treatment plan. 

Around-the-Clock Cardiovascular Care During Pregnancy

During pregnancy, our cardio-obstetric specialists provide a 24/7 clinical service of maternal–fetal medicine and adult congenital heart disease specialists to manage a full range of cardiovascular conditions during pregnancy. These include the following:

• congenital heart disease
• cardiomyopathy or heart failure
• heart valve conditions, including aortic valve disease, mitral valve disease, or tricuspid valve disease
• heart rhythm disorders such as atrial fibrillation (AFib) and atrial flutter
• hypertensive disorders such as high blood pressure or preeclampsia

We work closely with other subspecialists at NYU Langone Heart to deliver the highest-quality care for any cardiac condition that arises during pregnancy. Pregnant patients are seen promptly in our outpatient cardiac and high-risk obstetric clinics and followed closely throughout pregnancy and during and after childbirth.

Cardiovascular Care After Childbirth

If you have a pregnancy complicated by high blood pressure, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, or spontaneous preterm labor, you are at increased risk for developing early heart disease, stroke, or chronic high blood pressure.

To ensure a smooth transition from obstetric care to long-term preventative care, our maternal–fetal medicine specialist may refer you to a Postpartum Cardiovascular Health Program. The program provides screening for early heart disease, risk factor control, lifestyle counseling, and personalized cardiovascular care for people at high risk after giving birth.

Patients can be referred to the program three months after childbirth, when pregnancy-related hormonal changes in the body likely no longer affect factors such as cholesterol and high blood pressure. Patients can see our doctors over the short and long term to monitor and optimize cardiovascular health. They will also learn how to manage cardiovascular risk if they choose to become pregnant again.