In many cases, the wish for a child can come true also for women with congenital heart disease. However, urgently needed health education often falls short. This was confirmed by this study's results.

Pregnancy Strains Both the Heart and the Circulation

Pregnancy has a specific effect on the cardiovascular system. Women who feel the desire to have children should therefore receive timely individual advice regarding their health situation.

Patients Attest Insufficient Counseling

However, the subject of pregnancy is often hardly mentioned in consultations with the treating cardiologist. This has been shown by the presented study, in which 536 adult female patients had answered questions regarding sexuality and family planning. Barely a third of the participants stated that their doctor had started discussing the topic of pregnancy with them at an early stage. A third of the respondents had initiated a discussion about the subject of their own accord. Everybody else had not received any information.

Being Let Down When it Comes to Contraception

For choosing a suitable contraceptive, women with congenital heart disease have to consider certain implications which they should discuss individually with their treating physician. Also this issue had to be addressed by the women themselves in almost a third of all cases. 37 percent of the women had not received any information from their doctor at all.