Postpartum Heart Health Program

The Smidt Heart Institute's Postpartum Heart Health Program, part of the Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, is a highly specialized program dedicated to the heart health of women who have had an adverse pregnancy outcome. Women who experience hypertension during or after pregnancy, gestational diabetes or spontaneous preterm delivery are at significantly higher risk of developing early cardiovascular problems—such as stroke, heart attack and heart failure—than women without these complications.

The purpose of the Postpartum Heart Health Program is to screen women with adverse pregnancy outcomes for cardiovascular risk within six months of delivery and then follow up each year. In addition, the program's experienced team will make nutritional and exercise recommendations at each visit. If the team identifies sufficiently elevated cardiovascular risk, your caregivers will provide appropriate referrals and interventions.

The practice is designed to meet the specialized needs of women who have had an adverse pregnancy outcome. These include:

• Gestational hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Preeclampsia
• Postpartum hypertension
• Gestational diabetes
• Spontaneous preterm delivery (earlier than 36 weeks)

Margo Minissian, PhD, ACNP, is the primary provider for this program. An experienced cardiac nurse practitioner, Minissian has the skill set to administer the screening tests and evaluations and to help women reduce their long-term risk of atherosclerotic heart disease. She will work in collaboration with cardiologist Janet Wei, MD, and maternal-fetal medicine specialist Sarah Kilpatrick, MD, PhD, chair of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

To schedule an appointment or to refer a patient to the Postpartum Heart Health Program, please call the Barbra Streisand Women’s Heart Center at 310-423-9680.