Hi everyone, I"m new to these forums

[Trisha Roberts]

Hi everyone! My name is Trisha, I am 27 years old from New York. I was born with Aortic Stenosis. I was very blessed to have a baby boy 5 yrs ago. (I didn't know pregnancy was bad for me then) But last year I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. May 2nd, 2013, I finally had my Aorta Valve Replaced with a mechanical one.
I am on Coumadin right now and everything went great.

I was hoping if someone could give me any information on pregnancy. If anyone has been pregnant while on coumadin with an mechanical valve?. but I really do hope to reach out to many of you, based on any topics. <3

 

[ManiSham]

hi Trisha

I got an AVR (mechanical) at 19 and I had a baby when I was 25 but we found out I was pregnant within 10 days (through a hcg blood test) so I was properly managed from the very beginning. I switched from warfarin to innohep injections daily (my husband was taught to give it at home). At 38 weeks I had my baby through a c- section, I was in hospital for five days dur ing the delivery to ensure that everything was in place.

I didn't have any complications during or after my pregnancy. What I feel is a properly managed pregnancy with a mechanical is not impossible or overly risky. Having faith in God also helped me a lot.

I really want to have another baby but my husband freaks out even when I mention it coz he thinks it's too much of a risk

If you have anymore questions, will be glad to help

 

[mina]

Hi, Trisha,

There have been quite a number of discussions about this lately, and there are some old but useful ones on the forum as well. Search for pregnancy and you'll find all the recent and older activity. I think those posts have all the useful and up-to-date in information that's out there. Reading through them will give you a good start, then you can (and should, if you're considering pregnancy) also consult with your cardiologist and a good, real high risk OB (not the regular kind who say they manage high risk pregnancies, but a true MFM doctor). Most important if you embark upon this journey is knowing the risks and having a plan, in my opinion.

Good luck as you navigate these waters!

 

[ChicagoMammy]

Hi Trisha,

I had my third while on blood thinners. I had a tissue valve but was on Coumadin for life because of A-Fib and damage to two valves and chambers of the heart. I discovered I was pregnant (surprise) at four weeks and switched to Lovenox that day instead of Coumadin. I carried her to 39 weeks. She's twenty months now and completely healthy. I believe the blood thinner is the big risk in general terms not the mechanical -v- tissue valve. They told me not to get pregnant but obviously we weren't careful enough. Once my cardiologist determined that my heart was otherwise strong enough, she was cautiously optimistic for me to go ahead.

My advice would be to meet with the Maternal Fetal Medical group (high risk OBs) of a huge really good hospital. They should consult with you before pregnancy. Ask them what cardiologist they work with most and then consult with him/her. My cardiologist specializes in pregnant women with heart disease. I did not know the severity of my heart disease at the start of my first pregnancy. My OB had me consult with a random cardiologist. Both of them freaked out when they saw my echo and referred me to the MFM high risk group. They in turn referred me to my cardiologist. That team have seen me through three successful pregnancies. Only the last was on blood thinners, but all were high risk due to my sucky heart.


I'm heading for surgery on another valve next week and I do believe pregnancy has sped up its deterioration. I don't think that's the case for mechanical valves though. Even though I think I'm facing surgery earlier I obviously wouldn't change it for the world. She is amazing, funny and just an awesome kid.

I hope this all works out for you and you're given the go ahead to have another child. You own cardiologist and OB may freak, but persevere and see others who know more. Maybe they will strongly advise against it, but maybe they won't. Best best best of luck.

 

[mom2angel]

I had both of my kids while on Coumadin with an artificial mitral valve. Different doctors will tell you different things, as there is still not much research out there. My opinions on this are different than most. I stayed on coumadin the entire pregnancies and was monitored regularly, and my children are both healthy. Some will say, that's the wrong way to do it, though. Do your research, and i wish you the best of luck. Glad your surgery went well.