Can I get pregnant if I have patent ductus arteriosus?

Patent ductus arteriosus means that the child's ductus arteriosus has not closed. It is a congenital hereditary cardiovascular disease. If the mother finds out that the baby has this cardiovascular disease during pregnancy, what should she do? This is a life and the mother's flesh and blood, which will not be easily given up. So what should you do if you encounter this situation? You can get pregnant if the ductus arteriosus is patent, and you can give birth to a baby under good conditions.

1. Before pregnancy

Since patent ductus arteriosus in childhood can be cured by surgery, the incidence of patent ductus arteriosus during pregnancy is low. If a larger patent ductus arteriosus is present, it should be corrected by ligation or cutting of the patent ductus before pregnancy.

2. Pregnancy

(1) If the caliber of the patent ductus arteriosus is found to be large in early pregnancy, but no obvious right-to-left shunt has yet occurred, surgical correction of the patent ductus arteriosus during pregnancy may be considered. If there is pulmonary hypertension and obvious right-to-left shunt, artificial abortion is recommended to terminate the pregnancy.

(2) If the caliber of the patent ductus arteriosus is small, the pulmonary artery pressure is normal, and there are no obvious symptoms, the pregnancy can continue to full term. In addition to paying attention to rest and supplementing nutrition during pregnancy, you should prevent upper respiratory tract infections and actively prevent and treat gestational hypertension.

(3) Time and method of delivery: Women with patent ductus arteriosus, small caliber, and no pulmonary hypertension can have vaginal delivery at full term. If labor is prolonged or fetal distress occurs, the indications for cesarean section should be relaxed. If the caliber of the patent ductus arteriosus is large or there is gestational hypertension or malposition of the fetus, it is also appropriate to terminate the pregnancy by selective cesarean section at 37 weeks of gestation or when the fetus is mature and can survive. If symptoms of heart failure such as palpitations and shortness of breath occur during pregnancy, the pregnancy should be terminated after the heart failure is controlled.

(4) Antibiotics should be given before and after delivery or cesarean section to prevent and treat infective endocarditis.

Therefore, it is possible to get pregnant if the ductus arteriosus is patent. As long as some solutions are taken before and during pregnancy, you can still give birth to a lovely baby if conditions permit. The child can be treated after birth and there will be no impact. However, if the situation is serious, it is recommended to terminate the pregnancy by artificial abortion for safety reasons. Therefore, during pregnancy, you should also pay attention to checking whether the fetus is healthy.