Is the risk for stroke altered in pregnancy?
Cerebrovascular ischemic events occur 13 times more frequently in pregnant patients than in age-matched nonpregnant women, with an overall stroke risk of 1 in 3000 pregnancies.
Stroke accounts for 10% of all maternal deaths during pregnancy, and 35% of all strokes in female patients aged 15 to 45 years occur during pregnancy or in the puerperium.
Atherosclerotic disease is less commonly a cause for stroke in this population than is arterial embolus or cerebral venous thrombosis
