I have a ventricular septal defect (vsd). is it dangerous, and will my baby have the same condition?

Tell OB & Peds docs : If a pregnant woman has a congenital heart defect, there is an increased chance her children will have a heart defect. However, it might be a different heart abnormality. Because the anomaly might not be detected in a fetus with an OB ultrasound or echocardiogram, babies at risk are often seen by a pediatric cardiologist and/or undergo an echo after birth. Sometimes a defect appears later in life.

Notify your doctors: Most vsds spontaneously close, or would have been repaired in childhood. If your vsd is still patent your cardiologist and OB should confer and determine the effect that pregnancy will have upon your heart. Your child does have an increased risk of congenital heart disease. Get an ultrasound to check your infant's heart before birth, see the pediatrician and discuss this before baby is born.

Get records to know: Women who have a congenital heart defect surprisingly may know little about it. In some cases there are few symptoms between infancy and the time they get pregnant. They should ask their parents for information, get records from all their doctors and from any hospitalizations including when they were born, and see their cardiologist and an OB specialist about risk before trying to conceive (ttc).

Probably not.: Vsds are a common type of congenital heart defect, affecting .2% of the population, however most of them close on there own. There is no evidence that having a vsd is a risk factor for baby to have a vsd as well. More importantly, as a future mom, your good health is very important for your baby's good health so i would recommend that you have an echocardiogram to check out the vsd appropriately.