The Heart Crisis Facing Black Mothers: Closing the Gap in PPCM Diagnosis and Maternal Cardiac Care

In Canada and the U.S., Black women are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. One of the least discussed contributors to this crisis? Heart disease. In Canada, race-based maternal health data is scarce – but what we do know is alarming.  

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM), a rare but serious form of postpartum heart failure where the heart muscle weakens during or after pregnancy. This condition disproportionately affects Black mothers. Yet many are never screened, and their symptoms are often dismissed.

What the Research Shows:

• Black women are significantly more likely to develop PPCM

• They face longer delays in diagnosis and treatment

• Implicit bias in healthcare contributes to underassessment of symptoms

• Lack of access to BNP testing or echocardiography creates systemic gaps

  Source: IJMS, 2024

Dismissal Is Dangerous

Many survivors report being told "It’s just anxiety" or "You're just tired." That kind of medical gaslighting costs lives.

This isn’t just a gap. It’s a crisis hiding in plain sight.

Diagnosis timelines comparison

• A JAMA Cardiology study found that Black women were diagnosed later, had more severe disease at presentation, and took twice as long to recover compared to non-Black women.

• The American College of Cardiology reports that Black women are four times more likely to develop PPCM, take twice as long to recover, and are twice as likely to have persistent heart dysfunction.

• A BDO Pro article cites a study of over 7 million births in California showing Black mothers were 3.5 times more likely to develop PPCM than white mothers.

What Black Mothers Deserve:

• Routine cardiovascular screening during and after pregnancy

• Clear protocols for symptoms like breathlessness, swelling, and chest pain

• Equitable access to diagnostic tools

• Providers trained in anti-bias clinical practice

Until Black women are believed and treated with urgency, the system remains unsafe.

📢 What You Can Do

• If you’re a patient: Push for tests - BNP and echo

• If you’re a provider: Screen early and often

• If you’re a doula or birth-worker: Advocate at every appointment

• If you’re a policy maker: Fund maternal cardiac care

• If you’re a researcher or funder: Invest in race-based data collection and maternal heart health studies

This is more than awareness. It’s about saving lives.

Resources:

Black Maternal Health Collective Canada (BMHCC) – Advocacy and education

Mesh of Mothers –  Afro-Canadian maternal support in Alberta

Mommy Monitor – Directory of Black maternal healthcare providers in Ontario

Canadian Healthcare Network notes that Canada lacks race-based maternal health data, making disparities harder to track

Heart & Stroke Foundation is funding research to reduce cardiovascular events during pregnancy

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