Pregnancy & Congenital Heart Disease
(CHD)
Risks
While many women* (assigned female at birth) with CHD can successfully deliver a baby, carefully evaluating the risks is critical. Heart disease is the number one contributor to maternal deaths worldwide.1 In some cases, women with CHD will be less able to tolerate the cardiovascular changes accompanying pregnancy and delivery.
The following examples of congenital heart defects are considered of minimal risk to the mother (individual cases vary):
- Atrial septal defects (ASDs) or ventricular septal defects (VSDs), without the presence of other defects
- Coarctation of the aorta after treatment
- Repaired CHD with no residual lesions such as ASD/VSD or coarctation
Examples of high-risk forms of CHD for pregnancy include the following:
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Eisenmenger syndrome
- Severe aortic valve stenosis or other valve disorders
- Single ventricle heart disease (in which the heart only has one chamber capable of pumping blood away from the heart, rather than two) or other forms of cyanotic heart disease
Your cardiologist can advise whether your congenital heart defect carries a high, moderate, or low risk—and the best ways to protect you and your baby's health.
*The term “women” in the context of “women’s cardiovascular health” applies to individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB) who have a female biological reproductive system, which includes a vagina, uterus, ovaries, Fallopian tubes, accessory glands, and external genital organs.
*The term “men” in the context of “cardiovascular health” applies to individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB) who have a male biological reproductive system, which includes a penis, scrotum, testes, epididymis, vas deferens, prostate, and seminal vesicles.