Answer: C - During pregnancy, a woman’s resting heart rate will elevate as much as 15-20 bpm above her baseline. This is because even in a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy, the body must make adjustments to compensate for a large increase in blood volume (often 40-90% above baseline) and an increase in the cost of bearing weight (because of the sudden increase in body weight). Additionally, rapid alterations in hormone levels, including a dramatic increase in progesterone and estrogen, can increase resting heart rate. Elevated levels of FSH in the blood stream do not affect the resting heart rate.
