Pregnancy and CHDs

[della_anne]

I am finally going to see an adult cardiologist this week about pregnancy and CHD issues. Just to get all the facts and to eventually plan for my future. Its not good to live in fear and to not know what you might have to go through. My pediatric gave me basic information about pregnancy, but not in detail....so, I am seeing an adult cardiologist about this issue, hopefully he can answer my questions in detail.

 

[Diane]

Della Anne,
I was born in 1957 with TOF. In my generation most female CHD patients were told that they should not have children. However, many young women ignored that advice and had children anyway. There were complications but the majority of those women survived their pregnancies. Today, many female CHDer's are told that they can have children. BUT, it is determined on a case-by-case basis and is generally considered a high-risk pregnancy.

I hope your peds card recommended you to an Adult Congenital Heart Specialist. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you see such a specialist and not just a "regular" adult cardiologist. Regular adult cardiologists are trained in the usual adult issues.....high blood pressure, high cholesterol, coronary artery disease, etc. They ARE NOT trained in congenital heart defects. I actually have 2 cardiologists: an ACHD card and a "regular" card. The ACHD card is at a major teaching hospital about 2 1/2 hours away. I see him once a year and he consults with my "regular" card in my local area. My "regular" cardiologist told me that unless they are going into pediatric cardiology, a cardiologist will only get about 2 hours of training on CHD!!

You may want to check out the Adult Congenital Heart Association at www.achaheart.org. There is a link to an ACHD Clinic directory where you can find an ACHD clinic near you. An Adult Congenital Specialist will be able to evaluate the risks of your specific case appropriately and and give you the information you need regarding pregnancy so you can make an informed decision.

Good Luck!

~Diane

 

[netmiff]

Della Anne

Della Anne

There have been a couple threads lately regarding pregnancy and heart valve issues. Have you done a search? It may let you drop off one or two questions on your list, and add a couple dozen more - I usually find that the more i know, the more questions I have !

Anyway, good luck, with proper care both from heart and ob/gyn side, I am sure you will be able to have your kids. It might take some effort and patience, but if you want a family, it could be so worth it!

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Hi Danielle!

We were looking for you. (few of us Chicago members) Hope your appointment works out in your favor!

Please go look over in reunions for the March 1st meeting place! Hope to see you then!

 

[della_anne]

chicago get together

chicago get together

Gina,

Nice to hear from you! Its been a while since I have been on here. I think I may have missed the March 1st get together. I'll check back later for future get togethers, hope to see you then, take care!

 

[marky]

Nice to see you!
Hope that you get the answers you want. Come back and share what you learn from the doc! Make sure to take a notebook with all your questions..and write down Everything!!

 

[positive]

Pregnancy and heart valve problems

Pregnancy and heart valve problems

I am a doctor friend who periodically sends me the latest from the "UpToDate" resource available to the medical profession. Here's what they have to say on the subject:Effect of pregnancy ? Chronic MR is usually well tolerated during pregnancy. The normal fall in systemic vascular resistance tends to reduce the degree of regurgitation. Issues related to the management of mitral regurgitation during pregnancy are discussed separately. (See "Natural history of chronic mitral regurgitation in mitral valve prolapse and flail mitral leaflet", section on Effect of pregnancy). If anyone wants the complete section on the latest in the field, let me know and I'll e-mail it to you.

The more info you can get on this subject, the better!