A Fitbit fitness tracker that was "broken" was actually showing a high heart rate due to a man's wife being pregnant. The New York man thought the wearable device's sensor was malfunctioning, but learned from responses to his Reddit post that the quicker heartbeats could be a sign of pregnancy instead of stress or bad heart health.
YoungPTone made a post on the social network to ask if anyone could explain why his wife's heart rate was so high. He explained the calorie-burning figure was in the normal zone. However, she had logged a sky-high 10 hours in the fat burning zone, which seemed implausible due to her activity level.
David Trinidad from NYC and his wife Ivonne had both recently started using Fitbit fitness trackers that were equipped with heart rate monitors, according to NBC New York. They were using them to stay in shape.
The Brooklyn resident suggested that the sensor could be broken and the health tracker needed to be adjusted. However, he wanted to get some troubleshooting advice before contacting Fitbit customer service.
A helpful Reddit user then suggested the man's wife could have experienced a stressful situation, or she might be pregnant. Trinidad admitted he did not know pregnancy could cause a woman's heart rate to spike, and realized that he could become a father, according to CBS News.
One day later YoungPTone went back on Reddit. Trinidad reported that a home pregnancy test showed that his wife was going to have a baby.
The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center's pregnancy website shares that cardiac rates and blood pressure increase after a woman becomes pregnant. That is because the heart must work harder.
The website explains that the heart rate can rise by 10 to 15 beats each minute. Meanwhile, blood volume can skyrocket up to 50 percent during the first trimester.
YoungPTone then made another Reddit post, thanking the social network's users for their support including comments and encouragement. The couple also created @babyfitbit accounts for the new family member.
Trinidad explained that he is a "regular guy" who wanted to find a solution to his wife's technology problem. He found it and also learned some good news.
Here are some causes of higher heart rates during pregnancy: