[Pregnancy and dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathies].

The risk of pregnancy in women with hypertrophic (HCM) or dilated (DCM) cardiomyopathy may be difficult to assess. Haemodynamic changes occur during pregnancy which may destabilize the underlying cardiac disease. Nevertheless, with or without pharmacological support and with vigilance at the time of childbirth, the outcome of pregnancies in patients with HCM is usually good without extra-mortality. On the other hand, complications often occur in symptomatic patients with DCM and left ventricular dysfunction. Pregnancy is not advisable in this group of patients. Finally, pregnancy may be responsible for a specific type of cardiomyopathy, peripartum cardiomyopathy, a rare condition occurring in the last month or during the 5 following months, which has an unpredictable outcome to complete recovery, myocardial sequellae or aggravation leading to cardiac transplantation or death. These patients are at high risk in future pregnancies.