Screening
Pregnant women without a personal or family history of cardiac disease
Screening is important because most women are asymptomatic. Women should be screened at each prenatal visit with blood pressure (BP) measurement and urinalysis.[1][2][5][30][31]
If the BP reading is >140/90 mmHg, a follow-up measurement must be obtained.
A urine dipstick test is useful for identifying the presence of albumin and protein. If the dipstick test is positive, proteinuria should be quantified using spot testing where available.[1][2][5][30]
Pregnant women with a personal or family history of cardiac disease
Pregnant women with a strong personal or family history of cardiac disease may require additional tests. They should be offered the same investigations as women who are not pregnant.[32]
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