'They Sent Me Home' — Why Stroke Symptoms in Pregnant Women Are So Often Missed | Stronger After Stroke

Episode 46

'They Sent Me Home' — Why Stroke Symptoms in Pregnant Women Are So Often Missed | Stronger After Stroke

Pregnancy and the postpartum period are often viewed as times of joy and recovery, but they can also be periods of increased risk for serious neurological complications. In this episode of "Stronger After Stroke," Rosa Hart, BSN, R.N., SCRN, host and stroke nurse navigator, Norton Neuroscience Institute, sits down with Eliza C. Miller, M.D., M.S., one of the nation's leading physicians in women's cerebrovascular health, to discuss the often overlooked reality of stroke during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

More than one in four pregnant and postpartum women who experience a stroke had already sought medical attention for their symptoms before the stroke was recognized. Symptoms such as severe headache, confusion or neck pain are often mistaken for common pregnancy-related discomforts, creating dangerous delays in diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Miller shares her expertise on why these diagnostic gaps persist and what patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals need to know to improve outcomes.

As neurologist and chief of women's neurology at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, Dr. Miller leads one of only two dedicated divisions of women's neurology in the United States and directs a nationally recognized maternal stroke program. Her work focuses on advancing research, education and awareness around women's brain health and maternal stroke.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

·      Why pregnancy and the postpartum period significantly increase stroke risk and the physiological changes behind that risk

·      Stroke symptoms beyond BE-FAST that pregnant and postpartum women should never ignore, including severe headache, neck pain and confusion

·      Why more than 25% of maternal stroke patients had already been evaluated by a healthcare provider before receiving the correct diagnosis

·      The knowledge gaps that exist across obstetrics, emergency medicine and neurology when caring for women with neurological symptoms

·      What an appropriate clinical response should look like when a pregnant or postpartum woman presents with possible stroke symptoms

·      The research still needed to better understand maternal stroke and how a national patient registry could improve care