The Women’s Cardiology Department (DCM, acronym in Portuguese) presents this document, composed in accordance with the norms established by the Brazilian Cardiology Society (SBC, acronym in Portuguese), with the aim of discussing the most prevalent cardiovascular diseases that affect women during the pregnancy and for which substantial evidence or randomized clinical trials do not exist.
In 1999, with the support of the SBC, what was at that time the Department of Heart Disease and Pregnancy published the First Consensus on Heart Disease and Pregnancy, which was groundbreaking worldwide. It drew attention to the evolution of gestation in women with heart disease, at a time when the prevailing maxim was “Women with heart disease should not get pregnant because maternal mortality is prohibitive.” After 10 years had passed, the experience of the department that has gone on to become the DCM made it necessary to reconsider the restrictions on pregnancy in women with heart disease. For this reason, in 2009, SBC Guidelines for Pregnancy in Women with Heart Disease published the therapeutic strategies available at that time, in a specific and adequate management of clinical situations.
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Brazilian Cardiology Society Statement for Management of Pregnancy and Family Planning in Women with Heart Disease – 2020
AvilaWS, AlexandreERG, CastroML, LucenaAJG, Marques-SantosC, FreireCMV, RossiEG, et al. Brazilian Cardiology Society Statement for Management of Pregnancy and Family Planning in Women with Heart Disease – 2020. Arq. Bras. Cardiol. 2020;114(5):849-92.
Avila,Walkiria Samuel; Alexandre,Elizabeth Regina Giunco; Castro,Marildes Luiza de; Lucena,Alexandre Jorge Gomes de; Marques-Santos,Celi; Freire,Claudia Maria Vilas; Rossi,Eduardo Giusti; Campanharo,Felipe Favorette; Rivera,Ivan Romero; Costa,Maria Elizabeth Navegantes Caetano; Rivera,Maria Alayde Mendonça; Carvalho,Regina Coeli Marques de; Abzaid,Alexandre; Moron,Antonio Fernandes; Ramos,Auristela Isabel de Oliveira; Albuquerque,Carlos Japhet da Mata; Feio,Claudine Maia Alves; Born,Daniel; Silva,Fábio Bruno da; Nani,Fernando Souza; Tarasoutchi,Flavio; Costa Junior,José de Ribamar; Melo Filho,José Xavier de; Katz,Leila; Almeida,Maria Cristina Costa; Grinberg,Max; Amorim,Melania Maria Ramos de; Melo,Nilson Roberto de; Medeiros,Orlando Otávio de; Pomerantzeff,Pablo Maria Alberto; Braga,Sérgio Luiz Navarro; Cristino,Sonia Conde; Martinez,Tania Leme da Rocha; Leal,Tatiana de Carvalho Andreuci Torres. Brazilian Cardiology Society Statement for Management of Pregnancy and Family Planning in Women with Heart Disease – 2020. Arq. Bras. Cardiol., v. 114, n. 5, p. 849-942, May. 2020.
Avila,W.S., Alexandre,E.R.G., Castro,M.L. , Lucena,A.J.G. , Marques-Santos,C., Freire,C.M.V., Rossi,E.G., Campanharo,F.F., Rivera,I.R., Costa,M.E.N.C., Rivera,M.A.M., Carvalho,R.C.M. , Abzaid,A., Moron,A.F., Ramos,A.I.O., Albuquerque,C.J.M., Feio,C.M.A., Born,D., Silva,F.B. , Nani,F.S., Tarasoutchi,F., Costa Junior,J.R., Melo Filho,J.X. , Katz,L., Almeida,M.C.C., Grinberg,M., Amorim,M.M.R. , Melo,N.R. , Medeiros,O.O. , Pomerantzeff,P.M.A., Braga,S.L.N., Cristino,S.C., Martinez,T.L.R., & Leal,T.C.A.T. (2020). Brazilian Cardiology Society Statement for Management of Pregnancy and Family Planning in Women with Heart Disease – 2020. Arq. Bras. Cardiol.,114(5), 849-942.
Avila,Walkiria Samuel and Alexandre,Elizabeth Regina Giunco and Castro,Marildes Luiza de and Lucena,Alexandre Jorge Gomes de and Marques-Santos,Celi and Freire,Claudia Maria Vilas and Rossi,Eduardo Giusti and Campanharo,Felipe Favorette and Rivera,Ivan Romero and Costa,Maria Elizabeth Navegantes Caetano and Rivera,Maria Alayde Mendonça and Carvalho,Regina Coeli Marques de and Abzaid,Alexandre and Moron,Antonio Fernandes and Ramos,Auristela Isabel de Oliveira and Albuquerque,Carlos Japhet da Mata and Feio,Claudine Maia Alves and Born,Daniel and Silva,Fábio Bruno da and Nani,Fernando Souza and Tarasoutchi,Flavio and Costa Junior,José de Ribamar and Melo Filho,José Xavier de and Katz,Leila and Almeida,Maria Cristina Costa and Grinberg,Max and Amorim,Melania Maria Ramos de and Melo,Nilson Roberto de and Medeiros,Orlando Otávio de and Pomerantzeff,Pablo Maria Alberto and Braga,Sérgio Luiz Navarro and Cristino,Sonia Conde and Martinez,Tania Leme da Rocha and Leal,Tatiana de Carvalho Andreuci Torres. Brazilian Cardiology Society Statement for Management of Pregnancy and Family Planning in Women with Heart Disease – 2020. Arq. Bras. Cardiol. [online]. 2020, vol. 114, n. 5, [cited 2025-10-25], pp.849-942. Available from: <https://abccardiol.org/en/article/brazilian-cardiology-society-statement-for-management-of-pregnancy-and-family-planning-in-women-with-heart-disease-2020/>. ISSN 0066-782X.
Figure 1
– Variation in cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance (PVR) during and after pregnancy. Adapted from Sanghavi and Rutheford, 2014.3