Mechanical heart valves and pregnancy.

Pregnancy is an exciting time, with great anticipation of the future for the woman and her baby. However, for women with mechanical heart valves (MHVs) pregnancy is a challenging undertaking fraught with risk to them and their baby. This article considers the issues for the woman, highlighting pre-surgical opportunities, pre-pregnancy counselling, the issues to consider with fertility treatment, the options during pregnancy for anti-coagulation management and the recognition and management of complications. This update stresses the complex challenges in the management of women with MHV during pregnancy and the need for specialist multi-disciplinary team involvement.