4.6cm Ascending Aortic Aneurysm holding steady, not growing. Get pregnant?

[michela]

I recently went in for the results of my latest CT and much to my cardiologist's surprise and my happiness, my aneurysm hasn't grown at all in the last year - 2 years. I seem to be holding steady at 4.6 and have no secondary symptoms or signs of any kind of cardiac wear. This is great news! I can at least put off surgery (for now).

My cardiologist says that since my heart seems strong and is not growing, I can go ahead and try to get pregnant. He says that "I should be able to have 2-3 kids on this valve," if it all stays as strong as it is now. I am so happy to hear this, but want to be cautious. Has anyone else seen their aneurysm hold steady, and if so, did they get pregnant?

 

[Country]

it is great that it has remained the same size!

i am sure your doc has been keeping a good eye on your aorta and knows better then me and i dont want to scare you but that is the size that mine was also..... my surgeon was disguisded(sp) with himself when he opened me up and noticed how thin, and diseased, my aorta really was. the term he used was "paper thin" again this isnt meant to be mean or to scare you.... just to share with you my expierences.

but then again i didnt know i had bav untill a month before surgery, so "monitering" my condition never happened...... and i have always been very active and physical. which prob didnt help my aorta.

something to think about? i hope the best for you!

 

[Duff Man]

I had a ct scan in 2001 that showed an aneurysmal dilation of my aorta at 4.1cm - of which I was unaware until very recently. I'm at 4.3cm as of this year. 2 millimeters in a decade is almost an expected rate of growth.

Millimeters are quite a small unit of measure when it comes to something like flesh I think... I was measuring 4.1cm until about a year ago, when it suddenly was measuring 4.3cm. I try not to get bent out of shape about it and remember that millimeters are quite small.

 

[malibu82]

hi there! i had a baby in december 2008 and another baby in december 2009. 5 days after delivering that baby, i had a gallbladder attack and when they discovered the gall bladder problem, they found my 4.8 aneurysm in my ascending arch. they told me i was lucky to have lived through two pregnancies, labor and deliveries with an aneurysm of that size.

i felt very lucky as well! i had no idea i had heart issues of that caliber. i thought all i had was a bi cuspid aortic valve that when i am in my 60's i MIGHT need surgery on.

i had my valve and aneurysm surgery 5 months later, because i was afraid the aneurysm would burst !

i am so glad i didnt know about my aneurysm BEFORE i had children, because i would have been too scared to do it.

i feel like if your doctor thinks it's okay then maybe just get a second opinion because your health is first and foremost!

good luck and keep us updated!

 

[nngbwh]

Holding steady in good news but you want to be cautious and get it checked every year.