Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Jan;63(1):23-32.
doi: 10.1111/jmwh.12720. Epub 2018 Jan 25.

Pregnancy-Associated Stroke

Bethany D Sanders, Melissa G Davis, Sharon L Holley, Julia C Phillippi
Review

Pregnancy-Associated Stroke

Bethany D Sanders et al. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2018 Jan.

Abstract

Cerebrovascular accident, or stroke, is the fourth leading cause of death for all women and the eighth leading cause of pregnancy-associated death. The physiologic changes of pregnancy increase the risk of cerebrovascular accident for women. With current incidence rates, a facility with 3300 births per year can anticipate caring for one woman with a pregnancy-related stroke at least every 2 years. All maternity care providers must be able to assess women experiencing stroke-like symptoms and initiate timely care to mitigate brain tissue damage, decrease long-term morbidity, and prevent mortality. The 2 main types of stroke, ischemic and hemorrhagic, have similar presenting symptoms but very different pathophysiology and treatment. This article reviews assessment and initial treatment of pregnant and postpartum women experiencing stroke and provides guidance for subsequent maternity and primary care to assist front-line perinatal care providers who may be the first to treat affected women or may resume primary care after diagnosis.

Keywords: cerebrovascular accident; gestational hypertension; hematologic changes of pregnancy; hemorrhagic stroke; hypertension; ischemic stroke; preeclampsia; pregnancy; stroke; transient ischemic attack; venous thromboembolism.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose

References

    1. Kochanek K, Xu J, Murphy S, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2013. NCHS Data Brief, No. 178. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services; 2014. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db178.htm. Accessed September 2016.
    1. Darlington A, McBroom K, Warwick S. A northwest collaborative practice model. Obstet Gynecol. 2011;118(3):673–677. - PubMed
    1. Bushnell C, McCullough LD, Awad IA, et al. Guidelines for the prevention of stroke in women: a statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Stroke. 2014;45(5):1545–1588. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Moatti Z, Gupta M, Yadava R, Thamban S. A review of stroke and pregnancy: incidence, management and prevention. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2014;181:20–27. - PubMed
    1. Lanska DJ, Kryscio RJ. Risk factors for peripartum and postpartum stroke and intracranial venous thrombosis. Stroke. 2000;31(6):1274–1282. - PubMed

Publication types