Pregnancy with tissue valve

[David'sBride]

There's been some discussion of pregnancy with mechanical valves, but does anyone have experience with pregnancy with a tissue valve? What are the risks there, especially if you're a bit older (I'm 37). I've never had children and chose the tissue valve for that reason. Now I'm wondering if it's a good idea even with a tissue valve. I had MVR a year ago and am still having symptoms, although it has improved.

 

[Dina]

There's been some discussion of pregnancy with mechanical valves, but does anyone have experience with pregnancy with a tissue valve? What are the risks there, especially if you're a bit older (I'm 37). I've never had children and chose the tissue valve for that reason. Now I'm wondering if it's a good idea even with a tissue valve. I had MVR a year ago and am still having symptoms, although it has improved.

I have a similar problem and I am older than you My husband and I have
no children. I got my VR about 7 months ago and like you I am still having
some symptoms related to the damage done to my heart prior to my surgery.
So if you(we) don't need to worry about the blood thinners and your surgery
was successful it should be okay. The problem we both seem to have is
still being symptomatic. Which ,in my case is caused by the rt atrium.
I don't know how bad your symptoms are , but with pregnancy they will
probably become worse for a few months and the question becomes...
"just how much worse and how dangerous?" and not many doctors want
to answer these questions in a definitive manner. I have found a good
perinatal doctor who told me that one of the largest threats to some
was if the Pulmonary hypertension in the lung is high. You should have
gotten these results from your angio. I would bring these and any other
data to a good perinatal and see what they say. It took me a few appoint-
ments to find one that had the expertise and caring to really help,and
even with this I am still unsure.
I wish you the best and feel free to PM me if you wish.
-Dina

 

[ALCapshaw2]

A Tissue Valve is the usual recommendation for VR for women who wish to have children afterwards.

See posts by MNmom who received a Bovine Pericardial Tissue Valve at 20, had 2 kids, and just received a Mechanical Valve 10 or 11 years later.

I believe we have other "tissue moms" but can't recall any names at the moment. Hopefully some will drop in with their stories.

 

[Karlynn]

We do have some members who have had babies with tissue valves. I would just be very diligent about consulting with your cardio and OB/GYN about doing so. Pregnancies can be hard on a native valve (there are several of us here who's pregnancies hastened our valve deterioration and led to our replacements) so I would think that for SOME women it would also be hard on a tissue valve.

So just make sure you really fully explore this with your doctors. You'll probably be followed by a high risk OB as a precaution.

 

[6 for Sarah]

I had an aortic valve replacement with a human tissue valve in 2004. I had a baby in Aug. 2006 and one in March of 2007. I was fine both pregnancies with no complications. I was followed by my normal OB/GYN and delivered at a small private community hospital. The only meds I take are low dose aspirin daily and I continued that throughout the preg. I did have a dose of IV abx before and after delivery as a precaution. I was just careful not to receive too much IV fluids, just the minimum KVO, so as not to get fluid overloaded. There is such a fluid shift after birth anyways I did not want to add another 1-2 liters of IV fluids to that. I just got the go ahead from my cardio that we could have another one if we want to.

 

[A New Beginning]

I am a proud mother of a baby born with a tissue valve. She is healthy and I had a normal pregnancy. I was not able to have another one before I had my mechanical one put in on july 11 of this year. I want more children but I am not going to push my luck with the mechanical one.

So, another words I had a normal pregnancy and would do it before the mechanical valve.

 

[Scooby06]

There are many published studies on patients having babies with both prosthetic, and bioprosthetic valves. Bioprosthetic is much easier/safer.

If you have a normally functioning bioprosthesis heading in, you should be okay. If your valve has any issues (regurgitation or stenosis) before, it will be worse during pregnancy. Consult a cardiologist with experience before getting pregnant.

 

[tobagotwo]

Having a tissue valve, by itself, does not create any issues with a pregnancy.

There are three basic things I would think you'd want to be to be aware of...

- The basic condition of your heart as a whole. You should consider asking your cardio to clear your heart itself as healthy enough to carry a pregnancy. Of course, it's always your decision in the final analysis. It would at least be nice to know, though, so you, your cardiologist, general practitioner, and/or your OB/GYN know what to watch out for.

- The recommendation for taking prophylactic antibiotics before dental work is still in place for now, and that should be discussed with you doctor. If possble, avoid teeth cleanings and dental work throughout your pregnancy, rather than taking antibiotics.

- Your valve will have a shorter life due to your pregnancy. This is partly due to the extra strain, but probably much more due to the massive and rapid-fire changes in your calcium metabolism (you're helping your baby to grow bones, and at the end will be turning calcium into a major component of mother's milk - during pregnancy, you become a calcium processing machine). This all speeds up the apatitic growth (calcification) on the valve, an accelerated process already in play because of your relative youth.

Best wishes,

 

[Dina]

Having a tissue valve, by itself, does not create any issues with a pregnancy.

There are three basic things I would think you'd want to be to be aware of...

- The basic condition of your heart as a whole. You should consider asking your cardio to clear your heart itself as healthy enough to carry a pregnancy. Of course, it's always your decision in the final analysis. It would at least be nice to know, though, so you, your cardiologist, general practitioner, and/or your OB/GYN know what to watch out for.

- The recommendation for taking prophylactic antibiotics before dental work is still in place for now, and that should be discussed with you doctor. If possble, avoid teeth cleanings and dental work throughout your pregnancy, rather than taking antibiotics.

- Your valve will have a shorter life due to your pregnancy. This is partly due to the extra strain, but probably much more due to the massive and rapid-fire changes in your calcium metabolism (you're helping your baby to grow bones, and at the end will be turning calcium into a major component of mother's milk - during pregnancy, you become a calcium processing machine). This all speeds up the apatitic growth (calcification) on the valve, an accelerated process already in play because of your relative youth.

Best wishes,

Thanks , I did not know about the changes in calcium metabolism and
it's effect on the tissue valve, this is definitely the kind of info that
is needed to make this difficult decision.
It is not my thread , but it is my problem also.
Dina