Preconception Counseling for Women with Congenital Heart Disease.
With advances that have been made over the recent decades in transcatheter and surgical interventions, most patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) can survive into adulthood. Overall, probably half of these surviving patients are female. When these female CHD patients reach childbearing age, however, pregnancy management will be a major issue. In order to meet the demands of fetal growth, the maternal cardiovascular system starts a series of adaptations beginning in early pregnancy. These adaptations include: decreased systemic and pulmonary vascular resistances, decreased blood pressure, expansion of the blood volume, increased heart rate and increased cardiac output. For women with CHD, this hemodynamic alteration may increase the risks of adverse cardiovascular events as well as the fetal and neonatal complications. Therefore, proper risk stratification and effective counseling for women with CHD who are planning their pregnancies is an important undertaking.


BACKGROUND
Congenital heart disease; Pregnancy.
Adult Congenital Heart Center, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Taiwan University Children Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chun-Wei
CW
Lu
Adult Congenital Heart Center, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Taiwan University Children Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Mei-Hwan
MH
Wu
Adult Congenital Heart Center, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Taiwan University Children Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Jou-Kou
JK
Wang
Adult Congenital Heart Center, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Taiwan University Children Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Min-Tai
MT
Lin
Adult Congenital Heart Center, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Taiwan University Children Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Chun-An
CA
Chen
Adult Congenital Heart Center, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Taiwan University Children Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Shenn-Nan
SN
Chiu
Adult Congenital Heart Center, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, National Taiwan University Children Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Hsin-Hui
HH
Chiu