Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a type of heart muscle weakness that occurs near the end of pregnancy or in the months after. The word cardiomyopathy typically refers to a decrease in the function or change in structure of the heart muscle. The heart's pumping function is referred to as the “ejection fraction” which is a term for the percent of blood volume ejected from the heart with each beat. In PPCM, the ejection fraction goes down, which can cause symptoms of heart failure. These symptoms include a build-up of fluid in the lungs leading to shortness of breath and swelling in the legs. In more severe cases, other organs are damaged due to poor blood flow as a result of heart muscle weakness.
