Abstract
Pregnancy rates for mothers of infants with conotruncal cardiac malformations and mothers of healthy control infants were compared for a 3-year period. Mothers of infants who died of congenital heart disease had the highest pregnancy rates, followed by control mothers, and then by mothers of surviving infants with congenital heart disease. Comparison in relation to the number of living children showed similar subsequent pregnancy rates for mothers of deceased infants with congenital heart disease and mothers of control infants, but lower rates for mothers of surviving infants with congenital heart disease. Replacement of a deceased infant occurs frequently, apparently in order to achieve a desired family size, whereas decreased reproduction in families of living infants with congenital heart disease may reflect the psychosocial and economic impact of the continuing care of a child with severe heart disease.
Published Version
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