2022 Volume 38 Issue 2 Pages 105-114
Background: The number of adult patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) who get married, become pregnant, and give birth is increasing with the improvement in their prognosis. We examined the hope and cognition of the marriages, pregnancies, and childbirth of women with CHD.
Methods: A questionnaire-based survey was conducted on 307 adult women with CHD (aged 20–49 years) regarding their heart diseases, marriages, pregnancies, and childbirth. We divided the subjects into two groups according to whether they had or had not acquired the first grade of the physical disability certificate.
Results: Responses were obtained from 89 participants (valid response rate: 29.0％), including 53 acquirers and 36 nonacquirers. The number of married people was significantly more frequent in the acquirer than in the nonacquirer group. In both groups, 80％ were aware of the “Burden on the heart due to pregnancy” and “Necessity of prepregnancy examinations.” The acquirers were highly aware of “Influences of heart disease medications on the fetus” and “Inheritance of congenital heart disease by the fetus.”
Conclusions: Both groups reported high aspirations for marriage, pregnancy, and childbirth. They need to be supported and educated continuously for a safe pregnancy and childbirth by a multidisciplinary team.
