Emmanuelle, 41 years old

"I attended a Lalala evening near Lille last night, and the proceeds went to your association, which I discovered at the same time and which resonated with me at an important moment in my life.

I'm the proud mother of three sons: my first, aged 13, and my twins, aged 2 1/2. These two little bundles of joy were the culmination of a long PMA journey, during which a woman's body and mind are put to the ultimate test.

My pregnancy then went well... tiring, of course. Then came the day of the birth, and while the arrival of my first twin went well, that of my second was much more complicated and trying.

I felt terrible for a few days after the birth. I couldn't stand up and breathe normally. At first I gritted my teeth, and then I spoke to the nurses about it... who didn't take me very seriously. I had to be patient, I'd just given birth, a little doliprane and I'd be fine.

I could feel that something was wrong, so I spoke to the obstetrician who came to visit me six days later. My babies and I were still hospitalized.

Fortunately, he checked the data from a blood test, which was perfectly normal. He immediately sent me downstairs for a heart scan. He was right, half my heart had stopped.

I was lucky enough to find a very attentive cardiologist, who wanted me to undergo an MRI straight away. The verdict was in: I was suffering from Tako Tsubo syndrome. My heart was exhausted, my body exhausted. In a way, my heart had sounded the alarm.

We had to try to rest with newborn twins... mission impossible.
Above all, we had to take time to rehabilitate. Accepting that we are not infallible.

I'm telling you my story, which in the end may be quite banal, because medical teams aren't necessarily alert to this type of syndrome, especially for pregnant women. Sometimes, women don't even dare to speak out and, in the end, will never know that their heart has sounded the alarm.

Sharing my story with you is also a way for me to continue healing from this event, which really frightened me.

I imagine that sharing my story with other women could help me to be less afraid that my heart will decide another day to sound the alarm, perhaps in a more serious form."

Marie, 44

Sales Director, Rouen

I learned four important things over the May 1st weekend that I’d like to share here, even though they seem unrelated to Labor Day. Saturday, April 29. 8 a.m. I wake up and feel a sharp pain in my chest, like a cramp shooting down my arm... on the right side. I feel worse by the minute. I’ll [...]

Hélène, 26 years old

Medical Resident (Lille, France)

I’m a resident in my fifth semester and plan to specialize in emergency medicine. Something I recently experienced during a shift in the emergency department led me to do my thesis on coronary syndrome in women. This illness has been on the rise among women for many years. While men receive good [...]

Sabine, 39 years old

Doctor (Rouen, France)

I had been taking combination birth control pills since I was 16 for acne and I continued to self-prescribe them. I didn’t have the time to see a gynecologist because I worked too much and had kids to take care of. I didn’t have any significant medical history, apart from a family history of [...]