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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Hole In Baby S Heart Be Detected In 16th Week Of Pregnancy?

My wife is in her 16th week of pregnancy. Today she went for a scan and the doctor has told her that they have detected a hole in the heart of the baby. My question is firstly can the doctors tell at this stage if there is a hole in the heart of the baby? Secondly accepting the fact that there is a hole in the heart, how serious can it be and can we go ahead will the birth of the child or abort the child?
Fri, 7 Aug 2015
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OBGYN,  's  Response
Sir I am sorry for your situation and hope I can help answer your question.

There are definitely heart defects that can be seen as early as 16 weeks by ultrasound. A "hole in the heart" however is not enough information to really figure out what the prognosis of your fetus is. You really need to know what type of hole it is to find out if there is a problem at all. Some small septal defects (which is what people call holes in the heart) actually close by themselves and do not cause a problem, and some can need operations to correct. Your wife's doctor would be the best person to speak to about what exactly the situation is and give you a prognosis. I hope this was helpful and I wish your wife the best for her pregnancy.
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Can Hole In Baby S Heart Be Detected In 16th Week Of Pregnancy?

Sir I am sorry for your situation and hope I can help answer your question. There are definitely heart defects that can be seen as early as 16 weeks by ultrasound. A hole in the heart however is not enough information to really figure out what the prognosis of your fetus is. You really need to know what type of hole it is to find out if there is a problem at all. Some small septal defects (which is what people call holes in the heart) actually close by themselves and do not cause a problem, and some can need operations to correct. Your wife s doctor would be the best person to speak to about what exactly the situation is and give you a prognosis. I hope this was helpful and I wish your wife the best for her pregnancy.