Congenital heart disease in adolescents and adults. Pregnancy and contraception.

As the detection and treatment of congenital heart disease improves, more women are reaching childbearing age. The type of congenital heart disease, whether there has been corrective surgery, and the patient's functional status determines the maternal as well as fetal outcome. The patient may present to her physician for preconceptual counseling or late in her pregnancy with little care and in severe distress. These possible situations necessitate that the physician becomes familiar with congenital heart disease and its implications in the pregnant patient.