Pregnancy after a heart valve replacement is delicate. The risks of degeneration of a bioprosthesis with a subsequent reoperation must be weighed against those of the anticoagulation therapy required for a mechanical prosthesis. We performed a retrospective analysis upon 136 women with a heart valve prosthesis. Fifty women with a mechanical valve gave birth to 4 healthy babies. No embryopathies, bleedings or thromboembolic events were observed, spontaneous abortion was 21%. Patients with bioprosthesis (n=86), gave birth to 44 healthy babies. Spontaneous abortion was 16%. These results show that the outcome of pregnancies with bioprosthesis is better than with mechanical prosthesis. Pregnancy did not accelerate the degeneration of bioprostheses. Women of childbearing age should be recommended a bioprosthesis in order to avoid the risk of anticoagulation and to have an uncomplicated pregnancy.     «

Pregnancy after a heart valve replacement is delicate. The risks of degeneration of a bioprosthesis with a subsequent reoperation must be weighed against those of the anticoagulation therapy required for a mechanical prosthesis. We performed a retrospective analysis upon 136 women with a heart valve prosthesis. Fifty women with a mechanical valve gave birth to 4 healthy babies. No embryopathies, bleedings or thromboembolic events were observed, spontaneous abortion was 21%. Patients with biopros...     »