WPW and pregnancy

[Nancy11]

Hi there,
I am a 28 year old female who was diagnosed with WPW about 7 years ago (by fluke).  I have had some (about 7 or so)

[MaddyMerlot]

I have WPW, had an ablation at the age of 6 in 1993, which was a big deal back then, but have not had any major problems other than occasional flutters until I got pregnant.  Over the past 5 years I have had some symptoms, but only associated with caffeine, alcohol, and sometimes during interrupted sleep.  I am 15 weeks pregnant and have palpitations, an increased heart rate and am short of breath almost daily.  I am seeing a cardiologist in a few days to do more testing, but my OB said to mostly stay away from heavy foods, sugar, salty foods, and caffeine (which I already was).  I've heard great things about the ablation procedure now, it was rough when I was younger but I had many pathways that needed fixing and it was experimental.  

I am very worried about having a vaginal delivery, as my heart rate seems to increase in stressful situations sometimes.  I plan to have a medicated birth, but DO NOT want a C-section, as my husband and I plan to have a large family.  Did anyone have problems during delivery??

[wpwsurvivor]

I was diagnosed with wpw about three years ago. It was something that was always thwre when i was growing up but we just didnt know what it was since it is so rare. I agree the episodes are the worst part. When i had my ablation i was so thankful for my mew lease on life. I still have episodea when i over exert myself but the doctos havnt seen amy clues to thw disease returning. It is comforting to know that im not the only one out there that knows this pain.

[Chichick]

I have WPW, and underwent 2 ablations. I had a rough recovery from the first, but I was back on my feet in no time after the second. The doctor was not able to get to one of the pathways die to it's location. I had fewer symptoms, and was able to control the episodes more quickly after the second procedure. My last ablation was 7 years ago, and I am currently 28 weeks pregnant. My OB referred me to a cardiologist who specializes in pregnant women. She told me the episodes can become more frequent and harder to control during pregnancy. I wore an went monitor for 30 days and really didn't think it would catch any events. However I was able to record one and I was told to cone into the office. My heart rate was over 200bpm. The doctor told me the danger is in the placenta not getting the blood flow (oxygen) during these episodes.I've been on a beta blocker for a month now; as the doctor told me, the beta blocker will "muffle" the episodes. I will feel the flutters but my heart rate does not get out of control. The cardiologist is recommending good pain control during labor and delivery (disappointing to me because I was wanting the option of delivering without pain medication). She is also saying that she wants me to consider another ablation before having more children (again disappointing bc I REALLY do not want to undergo another procedure). She told me it's either that or stay on medication.

[mrs_mississippi]

i have had wpw all my life. 5 kids. everything was fine. they just toke special care of me.

[canibosh]

I was diagnosed with WPW when I was 22 years old, after having a very bad episode while in a spin class.  I spent 5 1/2 years on a beta blocker which I hated.  I still had flutters even on the medicine.  I finally hit a point where I was pretty much forced to have the ablation due to the fact that I had asthma and the medicine was affecting my asthma, and the asthma medicine was affecting my WPW.  I'm glad I had the ablation, however my surgery was very rough so I would never want to do it again.  I woke up during surgery and well my recovery after that was about 3 weeks.  I did my fair share of research on ablations and the doctor, etc...I even interviewed several people who had ablations and everyone recovered fast, however I had a tough surgery so unfortunately it was a longer road. I agree that if there is a way to keep you sedated after you wake up from surgery that would be great nothing is worse then laying flat unable to move for nearly 7 hours with weights on you, I certainly could have done without that.

I still have flutters and have even been checked numerous times to make sure it hasn't come back. It's been 6 years now, but I too worry about getting pregnant and how my heart will feel.  Although I am supposedly cured, I wonder if it will come back afterwards or if I will have issues during my pregnancy.  I heard that after having a child your chances of WPW coming back increase not sure if that is true or not.  Just wondering if anyone has had the ablation and then got pregnant and how their pregnancy was...I agree you should have the ablation before getting pregnant because WPW is so unpredictable it would be horrible to have an episode during your pregnancy.  As well you don't want to be on a beta blocker and get pregnant either.  Lastly they say the risk of living with WPW is greater then actually having the ablation.  There is nothing worse than having these episodes, they are very scary and definitely something you can't control. It's better to take care of it then live with it because it only gets worse.  Good luck!

[keeta79]

I really recommend having the ablation first and then get pregnant.  I am 27 and I was diagnosed with WPW a year ago.  I don't have many complications from it, just palpitations here and there.  I also want to start a family like ASAP.  My plan is to have the ablation in Dec or Jan, recover, which is short -then get pregnant within the next few months after. People usually go home the same day of the ablation.  I am a RN on a telemetry unit and I have did my share of research.  Being pregnant puts your body under stress and you never know what it could do to your WPW, everyone's body is different. It's better to be safe than sorry!  Hope this helps.

[AndiJ78]

Considering WPW attacks aren't brought on by stress, you should be able to get pg without any complications. However, I would highly recommend getting the ablation done first just to get it all taken care of before TTC. The recovery for that is super fast, my dh has had his done twice for the same reason (first time they had to pull out before getting the reverse circuit due to his heart swelling) the second one was a resounding success and he, too, was left with with a murmur unrelated to the WPW. He had only a few days of mild discomfort at the insertion sites and was actually back playing softball within a week.

If you do go forth with the ablation, a little hint for you, ask the doc to keep you sedated for several hours following the surgery, makes dealing with not being able to move or sit upright for hours afterwards much more bearable!!

Andi