Postpartum care isn’t just about making sure you’ve recovered from giving birth. It’s also about making sure your overall health is good now and that you’re taking steps to stay healthy in the future. That’s where heart health comes in.
If you developed new health conditions during pregnancy, such as high blood pressure or gestational diabetes, talk to your healthcare provider about how your heart health risks have changed.
It’s also a good time to check your cholesterol and blood pressure. If your numbers are high, or if you have other heart-health risk factors, your provider may suggest medication and lifestyle changes.
When to consider medication for cholesterol
If you have risk factors for heart disease, your healthcare provider may recommend a medication to reduce the cholesterol and other fats in your blood. This is important because when fats build up in your blood vessels, they can cause blockages, which can lead to heart attacks or strokes. Statins are the main group of medications used to help reduce cholesterol.
According to the American Heart Association’s guidelines, statins may be helpful if you have:
- One or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease and a higher risk of heart attack in the next ten years. This includes people with diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and those who smoke.
- Cardiovascular disease, including people who’ve had heart attacks, strokes, ministrokes, or blocked arteries.
- LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) of 190 or higher.
- Diabetes, especially for people between 40 and 75 who have LDL cholesterol between 70 and 189 and evidence of blood vessel disease or other risk factors, such as high blood pressure or smoking.
If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, your healthcare may also prescribe medications to manage those conditions. Taking care of diabetes and high blood pressure is another important step toward lowering your risk for heart disease.
Top questions to ask your healthcare provider
When you’re talking to your provider about heart health risks, here are a few questions you may want to ask:
- What is my risk for heart disease, including heart attack and stroke?
- What should I know about my cholesterol levels?
- What do my blood pressure numbers mean?
- Do you recommend any medications, such as a statin, to reduce my heart disease risks?
- What are the benefits and side effects of medication?
- Are there other things I can do to reduce my risks?
Reviewed by the Ovia Health Clinical Team
Sources:
- Lewey, Jennifer, et al. Opportunities in the Postpartum Period to Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk After Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001212
- Mayo Clinic. Statins: Are these cholesterol-lowering drugs right for you? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/statins/art-20045772
- US Department of Health and Human Services. Medicines to Prevent Heart Attack and Stroke: Questions for the Doctor. https://health.gov/myhealthfinder/doctor-visits/talking-doctor/medicines-prevent-heart-attack-and-stroke-questions-doctor#:~:text=Statins%20are%20medicines%20that%20reduce,other%20fats%20in%20the%20blood.
