A pregnant person may notice that they’re heart rate feel faster then there pre-pregnancy heart rate. This increase in heart rate is a common biological occurrence, and an increase in heart rate is a predictable part of pregnancy. Many people feel anxiety when they notice a higher heart rate, but a higher heart rate is often a sign that the cardiovascular system is adapting to the need of the pregnancy.
The cardiovascular system must work harder because the blood volume in the body increases by as much as fifty percent to support the placenta and the growing fetus. Because the blood volume is higher, the heart must beat more frequent so that the heart can move extra fluid and ensure that oxygen and nutrients reaches both the pregnant person and the baby. The change in heart rate is a gradual process, and the change in heart rate follows the development of the baby.
Why Your Heart Rate Goes Up in Pregnancy
DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the links and make a purchase, I receive a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
In the early weeks of pregnancy, the heart rate may rise slight because hormones begin to change the circulation in the body. During the middle of the pregnancy, the heart rate often increases further because the increase in blood volume is most dramatic during the middle of the pregnancy. In the final stages of pregnancy, the heart rate may reach its highest sustained levels because the heart is doing a large amount of work and because the uterus can put physical pressure on the vessels and the breathing of a pregnant person.
A pregnant person should view the heart rate as a changing number rather than a static number. The heart rate will naturaly follow an upward trend throughout the different trimesters of the pregnancy. However, a pregnant person should distinguish between a natural increase in heart rate and a heart rate that requires medical attention.
A natural increase in heart rate is normal, but a heart rate that stays persistently high while a person is resting may require a call to a doctor. For example, if a heart rate is consistently hitting triple digits while a person is at rest, the person should contact a healthcare provider. Additionally, a very low heart rate is also a sign that a person should contact a healthcare provider.
The context of a heart rate reading is important, and the context of a heart rate reading is often more more important than the specific number. A single high heart rate reading after a person drinks coffee or experiences stress is usually not a medical emergency, but a pattern of high heart rate readings is something a person should discuss with a doctor. Several factors can cause a heart rate to increase, and these factors includes dehydration, a lack of sleep, and iron deficiency.
Iron deficiency cause anemia, and anemia causes the heart to pump faster because the heart must compensate for lower oxygen levels in the blood. Thus, nutrition and heart rate are interconnected, and nutrition affects the heart rate. If a pregnant person chooses to be active, the person must use new rules for exercise.
A pregnant person cannot use the same exercise intensity that the person used before the pregnancy, because the target zone for movement change as the body changes. The goal of exercise during pregnancy is to stay within a moderate range so that the person can move without overtaxing the cardiovascular system. A person wants to strengthen the heart, but a person also wants to avoid pushing the heart into a zone of distress.
The heart rate does not immediately return to the pre-pregnancy heart rate after the baby is born. The body does not return to its original state immediately after childbirth, and it takes weeks or month for the blood volume to decrease. Because the blood volume takes time to decrease, the heart will take time to settle back into its original rhythm.
During the first few weeks of the postpartum period, the heart is still recalibrating, and the heart is still recovering from the work performed during the pregnancy.
