“The overall risk of stroke during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period is still low,” says Seemant Chaturvedi, MD, FAAN, endowed professor of stroke neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, “and we don't want to scare people unnecessarily, but it's important to take simple precautions.” He and other experts make these recommendations.

Schedule doctor visits. “Women who don't see a doctor as often before and while they are pregnant tend to have higher rates of preeclampsia [a sudden spike in blood pressure later in pregnancy associated with significant stroke risk],” says Dr. Chaturvedi.

Practice pre-prenatal care. “If you are planning to become pregnant, you should avoid smoking and try to become more physically active, as cardiovascular fitness helps with blood pressure control and preventing gestational diabetes,” Dr. Chaturvedi stresses.

Check your blood pressure. “Keep a close eye on your blood pressure, especially if you have a history of preeclampsia in prior pregnancies,” says Louise McCullough, MD, PhD, FAAN, endowed chair of the department of neurology at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. Women who have developed gestational diabetes are also at greater risk for high blood pressure and stroke both during pregnancy and later in life, according to research published in JAMA Internal Medicine. And women whose mothers had high blood pressure or a stroke during pregnancy should monitor their own blood pressure. A study in Stroke suggested that hypertension and other related disorders during pregnancy are linked with increased risks of stroke and potential heart disease in the children born of those pregnancies. “Whatever is dysfunctional in the maternal circulation during pregnancy sets the stage for an increased risk of high blood pressure and stroke in both mom and baby later in life,” Dr. McCullough says.

Know the signs of stroke. They include numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body, as well as confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech, vision problems, difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance, lack of coordination, and sudden severe headache with no known cause. “A lot of people miss these signs, especially headaches, which can be common for a lot of reasons,” Dr. McCullough says. A headache may be dismissed as a symptom of sleep deprivation, dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, or a migraine, for example. “But if you've recently given birth and notice that you have worsening headaches, especially in the morning, which can be a sign of increased intracranial pressure, take this symptom seriously.”

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