Congenital heart disease and pregnancy carries maternal and fetal risks, early evaluation and monitoring helps many  have healthy pregnancies and children. The adult congenital heart disease specialists with Norton Children’s Heart Institute, affiliated with the UofL School of Medicine, are available to help pregnant patients with congenital heart conditions navigate pregnancy.

We offer pregnancy care for patients with:

• Acquired valvular heart disease
• Cardiomyopathy
• Congenital heart disease
• Connective tissue disorders, such as Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and amyloidosis
• Heart rhythm disorders

Prepregnancy Counseling

If you’re thinking about growing your family, we can help you understand how a pregnancy can affect your congenital heart condition. We’ll also discuss with you the potential risks to your unborn baby.

This assessment includes:

• Physical exam
• Assessment of your cardiac reserve (your heart’s ability to work under strenuous activity)
• Electrocardiogram
• Echocardiogram
• Genetic testing

We collaborate with specialists in a variety of related fields to provide you with pregnancy care. This may include maternal-fetal medicine specialists, fetal cardiologists, fetal surgeons, genetic counselors and many others.

Congenital Heart Disease and Pregnancy

We offer assessments to evaluate your underlying heart condition, any risks you or the baby may have, and the baby’s health needs. Our team keeps in touch with your OB/GYN throughout your pregnancy to make sure you and baby are as healthy as possible. If your pregnancy is considered high risk, we coordinate care during pregnancy and after birth.

High-risk Pregnancy

If your pregnancy is high risk, our team works closely with your OB/GYN to monitor you and baby. Should an issue arise, we will work closely with the specialists with the Norton Children’s Maternal-Fetal Medicine practice. Norton Children’s is the biggest maternal-fetal medicine provider in Greater Louisville and works closely with the Level IV and Level III neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) and neonatologists at Norton Children’s Hospital and Norton Women’s & Children’s Hospital.

Pregnancy After a Fontan Procedure

Many women who have had a Fontan procedure can have a healthy pregnancy. However, for some women it may be too risky. It is important to discuss a potential pregnancy and your risk with your adult congenital heart disease (ACHD) specialist. If pregnancy is an option for you, you will need highly specialized and coordinated care during your pregnancy. You can expect to work with your ACHD specialist and maternal-fetal medicine teams throughout your pregnancy and in the months after giving birth.

Why Choose Norton Children’s Heart Institute

• Norton Children’s Hospital has been a pioneer in pediatric cardiothoracic surgery, performing Kentucky’s first pediatric heart transplant in 1986 and becoming the second site in the United States to perform an infant heart transplant.
• The American Board of Thoracic Surgery has certified our cardiothoracic surgeons in congenital heart surgery.
• The Adult Congenital Heart Association has accredited Norton Children’s Heart Adult Congenital Heart Disease Program as the only comprehensive care center in Kentucky and Indiana treating adults born with a heart defect.
• More than 17,000 children a year visit Norton Children’s Heart Institute for advanced heart care.
• Norton Children’s Heart Institute has offices across Kentucky and Southern Indiana to bring quality pediatric heart care closer to home.
• The Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) at Norton Children’s Hospital is the largest dedicated CICU in Kentucky, equipped with 17 private rooms and the newest technology available for heart care.