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What Causes Fetus With Leaky Heart Valve During Pregnancy?
Question: My daughter in law learned her baby (due in may) has a leaky heart. She is still allowed to travel and will continue to be monitored at Childrens Hospital in dc. ( she was to have ended a study there bcause of her own predisposition to autoimmine disease but she does not have a disease). Her obgyn care is primarily at GWU. I dont know which valve is involved but wonder how worried we should be. Are most heart problems at this stage destined for surgcal repair? Can the condition worsen before birth or is the abnormality most likely going to remain the same ? Anything else that you can provide to alleviate concern will be appreciated.
Brief Answer:
I would need some info.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for writing.
I am Dr.Muhammad Ahmad. I have read your question completely, i understand your concern and will try to help you in best way possible.
I am a training cardiologist myself and i can explain things in detail with you, I can help you best if you can tell me what exactly is the valve involved and what is the severity.
Here are a few things which can help me explain things to you in detail.
1) Echocardiography report.
2) I would also like to know is there any kids she already has..if yes then what about last pregnancies? were they normal and fine?
3) Is she having any symptoms?
4) Is there any ECG you can provide in any way?
I can give a generalized reply but that would not be specific and would not be patient specific, so if you can provide me with that info specially the echo report i can give you really helpful and specific info regarding your daughter in law.
And if there is no way of you getting the reports then i will let you know about general things about valve leaks.
I hope this answered your question, a
if you have more please feel free to ask.
Regrads.
Dr.Muhammad Ahmad.
M.B.B.S(Licensed Family Physician)
I would need some info.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for writing.
I am Dr.Muhammad Ahmad. I have read your question completely, i understand your concern and will try to help you in best way possible.
I am a training cardiologist myself and i can explain things in detail with you, I can help you best if you can tell me what exactly is the valve involved and what is the severity.
Here are a few things which can help me explain things to you in detail.
1) Echocardiography report.
2) I would also like to know is there any kids she already has..if yes then what about last pregnancies? were they normal and fine?
3) Is she having any symptoms?
4) Is there any ECG you can provide in any way?
I can give a generalized reply but that would not be specific and would not be patient specific, so if you can provide me with that info specially the echo report i can give you really helpful and specific info regarding your daughter in law.
And if there is no way of you getting the reports then i will let you know about general things about valve leaks.
I hope this answered your question, a
if you have more please feel free to ask.
Regrads.
Dr.Muhammad Ahmad.
M.B.B.S(Licensed Family Physician)
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Thanks for your first response- i have no reports to send but i can answer two questions- this is her first pregnancy at 37 and no symptoms. Her next monitoring at Children's is in four weeks. Baby due in 14 weeks. When i asked her if it is related to her own predisposition to autoimmine disease she said dr could not say yes or no. Some concern mentioned that the baby's heart might have to work harder and heart muscle could enlarge. Mights and Coulds...since you cannot answer specifically, is a "leaky heart" common in heart conditions and most often a surgical situation?
Well?
Well?
Brief Answer:
Here is some detail i wanted to share.
Detailed Answer:
Hello thanks for writing back,
Yes a leaky heart (which probably is a mitral regurgitation i suppose) is a common condition, usually it stays hidden untill one gets pregnant and body goes into stress like increased blood volume, relative anemia and increased heart rate which are normal in a pregnancy.
I can not say how much dangerous it is as i havent got any reports but in comparison with stenosed(tightened) valves , regurgitating(leaky) valves are less dangerous, it needs strict mother and fetus monitoring during pregnancy to assure that both mother and child are safe.
And it might not be related to her autoimmune predisposition it might just be a separate thing.
I suppose your daughter in law didn't know of any heart condition before getting pregnant, now after child birth she would be needing a complete evaluation of her heart condition.
In some cases valves are not much lesky so heart compensates the burden , but if they are more leaky than the heart can compensate...the heart gets XXXXXXX burdened and then it starts to change it's structure like the heart muscles can get thicker and then heart can get big this isn't a desired sequence of events.
So surgery or no surgery depends upon her heart condition. Some like without meds for normal span of life...some more severe cases have to use meds and some very severe cases undergo surgery.
Well that can be decided after this pregnancy and complete work up of her condition but she will have to take care in all future pregnancies she plans.. she will have to stay in close contact with her doctor and follow up regularly. Else everything should be fine.
Coming days are going to be important baby is gonna get bigger and stress on her body is going to get more, she should discuss with her doctor about lifestyle changes and precautions she should be taking and then follow them.
Here i would again mention that i don't know what specifically the leaky valve is in this case and what is it severity but i have made i as comprehensive as i could to give you an idea about dangers possibilities and what to do in future.
Stay blessed
Regards.
Dr.Ahmad
Here is some detail i wanted to share.
Detailed Answer:
Hello thanks for writing back,
Yes a leaky heart (which probably is a mitral regurgitation i suppose) is a common condition, usually it stays hidden untill one gets pregnant and body goes into stress like increased blood volume, relative anemia and increased heart rate which are normal in a pregnancy.
I can not say how much dangerous it is as i havent got any reports but in comparison with stenosed(tightened) valves , regurgitating(leaky) valves are less dangerous, it needs strict mother and fetus monitoring during pregnancy to assure that both mother and child are safe.
And it might not be related to her autoimmune predisposition it might just be a separate thing.
I suppose your daughter in law didn't know of any heart condition before getting pregnant, now after child birth she would be needing a complete evaluation of her heart condition.
In some cases valves are not much lesky so heart compensates the burden , but if they are more leaky than the heart can compensate...the heart gets XXXXXXX burdened and then it starts to change it's structure like the heart muscles can get thicker and then heart can get big this isn't a desired sequence of events.
So surgery or no surgery depends upon her heart condition. Some like without meds for normal span of life...some more severe cases have to use meds and some very severe cases undergo surgery.
Well that can be decided after this pregnancy and complete work up of her condition but she will have to take care in all future pregnancies she plans.. she will have to stay in close contact with her doctor and follow up regularly. Else everything should be fine.
Coming days are going to be important baby is gonna get bigger and stress on her body is going to get more, she should discuss with her doctor about lifestyle changes and precautions she should be taking and then follow them.
Here i would again mention that i don't know what specifically the leaky valve is in this case and what is it severity but i have made i as comprehensive as i could to give you an idea about dangers possibilities and what to do in future.
Stay blessed
Regards.
Dr.Ahmad
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
dr XXXXXXX I appreciate all of the information and extenuating information you brought into your response.one more question(!): in your explanation it sounds like mother has/could have the heart condition that I asked about in regard to baby??) no doubt mother can have her own set of cardiac issues (but that has not been revealed at all in her pregnancy care to date). primarily, my concern is the degree of concern I should have regarding baby's leaky heart. I guess you are bringing in the fact baby may have inherited condition from mother, who does not know she may have it? sorry to make this so confusing but just wonder if many times it is congenital from mother. anyway I will find out more from her when she returns from Turkey trip for work. Is mitral regurgitation the most common kind? I am a worrier-first grandchild.
Brief Answer:
To make it more clear.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
thanks for writing back i appologize it somehow got confusing some of your response made me think that both have the issue now let me make it further clear to you.
Baby's heart.
instead of talking about both i will just talk about baby's heart in this response as mother havent been found to have any heart issues so here it is some detail about what baby can have.
Heart of the baby can be leaky in teo ways usually.
A) A septal defect which is also called hole in the heart in lay man terms. heart is divided into two portions left and right and there is a partition between them called as septum now when this septum has a defect or hole in it ..it is called as septal defect.This is more common issue in kids..
Its prognosis depends upon the size of the leaking hole... if its big and is effecting the baby too much then urgent surgery has to be done..and if its small and dr thinks the baby can survive with it and it will get filled up as the baby grows then it may be left alone with regular monitoring.
Now if mother has no issues then there will no danger on delivering the baby but baby would need regular monitoring in follow up visits.
And in every future pregnancy planned ..baby will be needing regular monitoring because other babies can have this problem too.
This should not be related to prdisposition to autoimmune disease.
When the baby is born doctors do a complete examination including echo and everything and then surgery or no surgery is decided on the bsases of size of leaking hole and the degree of compromise and long term damage it is expected to cause to the heart and the baby.
B) Any valve regugitation is another cause of calling a heart leaky and that has same process of treatment. child will have to undergo followups and regular evaluation before and after birth and then surgery or no surgery is decided on the basis of severity.
Some times it can come from mother and sometimes it's just the set of genes mother and father have which predispose the child to thses issue even if both parent dont have the issue.
I understand you concerns as a grand parent and that too if it's your first grand kid, but i would ask you not to worry just follow up with your doctor regularly and hope that this leakiness isnt a larger one ... even if it is, cardiac surgery is really an advanced field these days... these kids can live a normal life with no issues after surgery... For now you can wait.. care..follow up and hope for the best.
If you get hands on to any reports or further info i am always there to guide you further.
Regards.
Dr.Ahmad
To make it more clear.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
thanks for writing back i appologize it somehow got confusing some of your response made me think that both have the issue now let me make it further clear to you.
Baby's heart.
instead of talking about both i will just talk about baby's heart in this response as mother havent been found to have any heart issues so here it is some detail about what baby can have.
Heart of the baby can be leaky in teo ways usually.
A) A septal defect which is also called hole in the heart in lay man terms. heart is divided into two portions left and right and there is a partition between them called as septum now when this septum has a defect or hole in it ..it is called as septal defect.This is more common issue in kids..
Its prognosis depends upon the size of the leaking hole... if its big and is effecting the baby too much then urgent surgery has to be done..and if its small and dr thinks the baby can survive with it and it will get filled up as the baby grows then it may be left alone with regular monitoring.
Now if mother has no issues then there will no danger on delivering the baby but baby would need regular monitoring in follow up visits.
And in every future pregnancy planned ..baby will be needing regular monitoring because other babies can have this problem too.
This should not be related to prdisposition to autoimmune disease.
When the baby is born doctors do a complete examination including echo and everything and then surgery or no surgery is decided on the bsases of size of leaking hole and the degree of compromise and long term damage it is expected to cause to the heart and the baby.
B) Any valve regugitation is another cause of calling a heart leaky and that has same process of treatment. child will have to undergo followups and regular evaluation before and after birth and then surgery or no surgery is decided on the basis of severity.
Some times it can come from mother and sometimes it's just the set of genes mother and father have which predispose the child to thses issue even if both parent dont have the issue.
I understand you concerns as a grand parent and that too if it's your first grand kid, but i would ask you not to worry just follow up with your doctor regularly and hope that this leakiness isnt a larger one ... even if it is, cardiac surgery is really an advanced field these days... these kids can live a normal life with no issues after surgery... For now you can wait.. care..follow up and hope for the best.
If you get hands on to any reports or further info i am always there to guide you further.
Regards.
Dr.Ahmad
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Dear Dr XXXXXXX
Thank you for clarifying and especially for interpreting my questions. They were written "convolutedly" and I apologize for the potential of mother-baby confusion.
I am so impressed with your attempt to address my concerns without real medical
information and I will try not to worry as much. This whole grand parenting perspective makes me realize how easy it is to take normal development for granted ( I have a very large family and I cannot think of a case when a child has been born with anything worrisome). It is probably safe to say that now a days prenatal care can provide a gold mine of information not known in the past. I am easily intimidated and anxious when it come to medical revelations. However, this time I will try to be grateful that the more that is known the more that can be planned and done for the baby.
Thanks again for your correspondence. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Thank you for clarifying and especially for interpreting my questions. They were written "convolutedly" and I apologize for the potential of mother-baby confusion.
I am so impressed with your attempt to address my concerns without real medical
information and I will try not to worry as much. This whole grand parenting perspective makes me realize how easy it is to take normal development for granted ( I have a very large family and I cannot think of a case when a child has been born with anything worrisome). It is probably safe to say that now a days prenatal care can provide a gold mine of information not known in the past. I am easily intimidated and anxious when it come to medical revelations. However, this time I will try to be grateful that the more that is known the more that can be planned and done for the baby.
Thanks again for your correspondence. XXXXXXX XXXXXXX
Brief Answer:
Everything will be fine hope for the best.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for writing back,
I can understand your concerns in this case but as you mentioned that diagnostics have become so asvamced thay it detects defects which we would have missed 5 years back.
I would just add a bit to it that on one hand we are diagnosing well and on the other hand we are treating better so don't worry just go with the flow... and hope for the best that things turn up in your favour.
Doctors must be aware of the possible dangers and risks in this scenario all that's needed is proper strict prenatal care and monitoring everything should stay under control.
1st step/goal at the moment is safe and healthy development and delivery of he baby and then 2nd goal will be evaluation of further risks after birth and best possible options for treatment.
3rd will be any unwanted complication during pregnancy , i hope things dont go that way and to avoid exactly that thing prenatal monitoring is done.
Just stay calm and spend this time supporting each other , stay in contact with the doctor and religiously follow the monitoring process and hope for the best :).
Best regards.
Dr.Ahmad
Everything will be fine hope for the best.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thanks for writing back,
I can understand your concerns in this case but as you mentioned that diagnostics have become so asvamced thay it detects defects which we would have missed 5 years back.
I would just add a bit to it that on one hand we are diagnosing well and on the other hand we are treating better so don't worry just go with the flow... and hope for the best that things turn up in your favour.
Doctors must be aware of the possible dangers and risks in this scenario all that's needed is proper strict prenatal care and monitoring everything should stay under control.
1st step/goal at the moment is safe and healthy development and delivery of he baby and then 2nd goal will be evaluation of further risks after birth and best possible options for treatment.
3rd will be any unwanted complication during pregnancy , i hope things dont go that way and to avoid exactly that thing prenatal monitoring is done.
Just stay calm and spend this time supporting each other , stay in contact with the doctor and religiously follow the monitoring process and hope for the best :).
Best regards.
Dr.Ahmad
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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