Journal of women's health
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Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States. Increasing maternal mortality in the United States underscores the importance of proper cardiovascular management. Significant physiological changes during pregnancy affect the heart's ability to respond to pathological processes such as hypertension and heart failure. ⋯ Cardiovascular medications can also enter breast milk and, therefore, care must be taken when selecting drugs during the lactation period. A summary of the safety of drugs during pregnancy and lactation from an online resource, LactMed by the National Library of Medicine's TOXNET database, is included. High-risk pregnant patients with cardiovascular disease require a multispecialty team of doctors, including health care providers from obstetrics and gynecology, maternal fetal medicine, internal medicine, cardiovascular disease specialists, and specialized pharmacology expertise.