SVT and Pregnancy (Supraventricular Tachycardia)

[vbluraschi]

Hi, I wonder if anyone has been pregnant while having SVT (Supraventricular Tachycardia). If so, how bad it was? I'd appreciate any experiences, advices or information. Thanks in advance.

[CS3218]

Hi,
I went through a pregnancy knowing I had SVT.  I was never on meds for it.  It did get much worse towards the end, and I did have a bad episode during labor.  Since then I've had an ablation.  I would not want to be pregnant with SVT again.  However, I know a number of people who have SVT and have had uneventful pregnancies.  So, it's hard to say, but as you know it's not dangerous, at least not while young with no additional heart issues going on.

[vbluraschi]

Wow! It seems you went through a lot! How brave! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. It really gives me hope :-)

[vbluraschi]

Thanks for your answer, dear. I thought it could be a holter. I've been carrying it from time to time since I was 14 :)

I understand you have periods of tachycardia that last minutes or hours. My  tachycardia is constant (24/7). Whenever I forget to take one of the three dosis of propaphenone or one of the two doses of metroprolol on a daily basis, my heart lets me know immediately (I say it protests, ha, ha).

I've read that if sustained in time and no treatment, SVT can lead to sustained ventricular tachycardia and heart insufficiency. That's why I am scared to leave my medication.

Thanks again for your response. I hope you're feeling good now :)

[Mommy2TnL]

I had 2 kids before I really knew there was a problem.  Looking back I know that I experienced a ton of symptoms arrhythmia related.  But I don't just have SVT and couldn't tell you which arrhythmia was the most frequent.  It was pretty rough though....very dizzy/faint and extremely fatigued were the most prevalent.  I delivered both babies naturally without any problems other than the symptoms on a daily basis.  The day before I went into labor with my 2nd child, my doctor caught my rapid heart rate while checking my pulse during my regularly scheduled appointment.  I told her that I wasn't feeling well...dizzy/lightheaded/extremely exhausted and that I just felt like crap.  She checked my pulse a few times in disbelief and sent me to L&D.  By the time I got to L&D my heart rate had tripped back to normal.  The nurse said that she had SVT during pregnancy and that she thought that is what I was experiencing too.  That was the first time that I had heard about SVT.  

To be honest, if I didn't have any children already and the doctors told me I had SVT and that I could still carry a healthy baby I would give it a try.  My 2nd pregnancy seemed to have more symptoms, but that could just be because I was chasing around a toddler and that is hard enough when you're healthy and not pregnant.  

Good luck to you!!!

[ireneo]

The monitor I wore was a Holter, just a one day thing. Then the battery went wonky and I had to wear it again a week later. Kind of goofy having that thing hang around my neck and flop around in front of my big belly.  LOL Great memories.

Since all that fun and games I've had 3 ablations done to try to correct my arrhythmias. They're pretty stubborn and I still have them but they're not nearly as active as they were when I was young. I'm now 60 and going strong. Trust your doctor/cardiologist. They will look out for you and be prepared to care for you during labor and delivery.

[vbluraschi]

Thank you SO much for your answer. It's been very helpful. My mother keeps telling me that I am crazy thinking about getting pregnant, while my doctor says my arrythmia is benign.

How are those monitors? Maybe like Holters?

Thanks again :-)

[ireneo]

I went through all 3 of my pregnancies with PSVT. Since my tachy episodes were so frequent during my 20's and 30's, I don't remember feeling much different. My OB/GYN did monitor me; I even wore a monitor for a short bit during my second pregnancy but other than that, everything went quite normally. Even labor and delivery (natural childbirth) wasn't a problem for me. Mostly I think it's important for the doctors to know you have an arrhythmia so they can decide what to do about it, if anything,