Heart valve disease in pregnant women

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Dr. Nguyen Van Duong - Interventional Cardiologist - Cardiovascular Center - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital.
Heart valve diseases in pregnant women such as mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, heart valve prolapse,... can affect the health of both mother and baby. Therefore, pregnant women with heart valve disease need to be examined and closely monitored for appropriate interventions.

1. What is heart valve disease in pregnancy?

Valve disease is a disorder of the valves that control the flow of blood into and through the heart. Some forms of valvular heart disease can be life-threatening and require surgical treatment.
Statistics show that about 1% of pregnant women have heart valve disease. Along with that is an increased risk of dangerous complications for pregnant women and fetuses. However, if you know how to care for and treat heart valve disease in pregnant women, you can have a healthy pregnancy and safe reproduction.

2. Are there heart valve diseases in pregnant women?

There are common heart valve diseases in pregnant women as follows:

2.1 Mitral valve regurgitation

When the heart valve is open, blood will flow back, congested in the heart, causing the heart to work harder to push this stagnant blood away. Over time, the heart will weaken. The cause of mitral regurgitation (the space between the left atrium and the left ventricle) is usually due to sequelae of rheumatic heart disease or mitral valve prolapse. Depending on the severity of the regurgitation, whether there are complications or not, the patient will have symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, arrhythmia, heart failure,...
In pregnant women with valve regurgitation If 2 leaves are light, with good heart function and good compensation, pregnancy can be normal and healthy. However, in women with severe mitral regurgitation, accompanied by impaired heart function, it is very easy to experience complications during childbirth.
See more: 2/4 grade mitral regurgitation, stage 2 stomach cancer, should you get pregnant?

2.2 Mitral valve stenosis

This is a narrowing of the mitral valve. Usually, when it first appears, the disease causes no symptoms. However, during pregnancy, mitral stenosis may worsen due to tachycardia, arrhythmia, or increased blood supply. The common complication of the disease is acute pulmonary edema, which, if not treated promptly, can threaten the life of the mother and fetus.
Therefore, women with severe mitral stenosis need to be carefully consulted by a cardiologist, often treated with mitral valve dilation or valve replacement surgery before pregnancy.

2.3 Mitral valve prolapse

This is a common condition that occurs when the valves between the left atrium and the left ventricle do not close properly. The disease usually causes few symptoms and does not require treatment. Most pregnant women with mitral valve prolapse can have a safe pregnancy.
In case of mitral valve prolapse causing a lot of heart valve regurgitation, it should be treated before pregnancy. It is best for patients to strictly follow the doctor's instructions to ensure safety during pregnancy.

2.4 Aortic valve stenosis

This condition can be congenital or a sequelae of rheumatic heart disease. If pregnant, aortic stenosis carries a risk of serious complications. Therefore, women with the disease need to see a doctor before planning to become pregnant. The doctor will specifically advise the patient on the potential risks of pregnancy for the patient and family to consider.
In case of severe aortic stenosis or symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath, you should not get pregnant until surgery. If the patient is already pregnant, accompanied by early symptoms, the termination of pregnancy should be considered to avoid endangering both mother and baby.

2.5 Aortic valve regurgitation

Pregnant women with aortic regurgitation are usually healthy as long as their heart function is good. For people with severe aortic regurgitation, left ventricular dysfunction, and clinical symptoms, medical treatment with a reduced-salt diet, diuretics and cardiac drugs is required.
Note that some drugs during pregnancy such as ACE inhibitors (used to treat aortic regurgitation) can cause fetal malformations, so they need to be replaced with another group of drugs. At the same time, surgery should be delayed until after birth to reduce the risk of miscarriage and premature birth. In addition, patients with clinical symptoms and left ventricular dysfunction should be monitored hemodynamically during labor and delivery.

2.6 Wear artificial heart valve

Women who undergo mechanical prosthetic valve replacement before becoming pregnant need to take anticoagulants for life and continue taking them during pregnancy. However, anticoagulants can cause fetal pathology, increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, and intracranial hemorrhage.
Therefore, patients with artificial mechanical heart valves may be at risk of complications in both mother and child. During pregnancy, pregnant women are advised to strictly follow the doctor's treatment regimen and periodically monitor their health to check for fetal abnormalities.

3. What should pregnant women pay attention to?

Heart valve disease in pregnant women is an extremely dangerous disease because it directly affects the health of both mother and baby. If you are not specially monitored by your doctor, there is a high risk of complications during pregnancy.
With the development of science, pregnant women with heart valve disease have a better chance of maintaining a safer pregnancy. However, before deciding to become pregnant, patients should still go to a specialist cardiologist to receive the best diagnosis and advice from doctors.
To protect the health of pregnant women and babies during pregnancy, Vinmec International General Hospital provides a package of maternity services as a solution to help pregnant women feel secure because of the companionship of the medical team. doctor throughout pregnancy. When choosing Maternity Package, pregnant women can:
The pregnancy process is monitored by a team of highly qualified doctors Regular check-ups, early detection of abnormalities The package pregnancy helps to facilitate convenient for the birthing process Newborns are taken care of comprehensively.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.