Studies have shown that PPH during pregnancy can produce birth defects, lung problems, and a multiple host of conditions for the newborn. In addition, PPH during pregnancy carries a high maternal mortality rate.

If a women took Fen-Phen as a weight loss suppressant, the chances of her acquiring PPH is a given. Moreover, if this same woman became pregnant, the risk to her health is even greater.

Primary pulmonary hypertension is a rare, progressive condition aggravated by the physiologic changes occurring during pregnancy and surgery. The maternal mortality rate associated with pregnancy and PPH ranges from 30 to 50%.

The extent to which PPH during pregnancy can cause a host of health problems, particularly for the mother to be.

As a result of the maternal-fetal mortality rate that still exists, PPH specialists have concluded that contraception and early fetal termination must be considered. They observe that the maternal mortality rate is caused by the increased demands on the heart during pregnancy. In addition, other changes include an increase in cardiac output during labor in patients receiving local anesthesia. These events place a great demand on the cardiovascular system, with the greatest incidence of mortality occurring during the first several post-operative days.