INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Pregnancy can be a time of joy and anticipation, but for some, it holds the increased risk of a stroke. Although it’s relatively low compared to other health issues, the CDC reports that the risk is increasing in pregnant women.

Briana Grant was 24 years old and 24 weeks pregnant when she started experiencing symptoms.

“I couldn’t see anything,” Briana said. “I mean, I couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face.”

Alone, and slipping in and out of consciousness. When she woke up, she phoned a friend, who called for help.

“She was having symptoms because of a blockage of a major vessel in the head,” said Dr. Richard Bellon, a surgeon. “She wasn’t getting enough blood flow to the brain. When that happens to people, a small portion of the brain dies pretty much immediately within a matter of minutes.”

Although rare, Bellon says some problems associated with pregnancy can increase the risk of stroke. These include high blood pressure, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, and blood clots. Once a stroke happens, every minute counts.

“We try to get the blood vessel open as quickly as possible,” said Bellon.

He used a catheter through a small puncture in Briana’s hip.

“We navigate that up into the neck and then we put an even smaller tube up into the brain and essentially apply suction to that to suck the clot out,” Bellon said. “This is before where the artery is blocked right here. And this is after where it’s open and it all fills out.”

When Briana woke up her speech was slurred and her entire left side was weak.

“I was more worried at that point about him than I was myself,” said Briana.

Her doctors still don’t know what caused Briana’s stroke, but they emphasize the importance of keeping yourself and your baby healthy during pregnancy by not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, choosing healthy foods, and staying physically active.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.