Reproductive health outcomes of congenital heart disease survivors: A report from the congenital heart disease project to understand lifelong survivor experience (congenital heart disease (CHD) PULSE study)
Authors' conclusion
Reproductive counseling is infrequent among women with CHD, especially among younger, unmarried, low-income individuals with less severe CHD and fewer comorbidities. Significant gender disparities in reproductive outcomes emphasize the need for tailored, gender-specific reproductive health counseling for CHD survivors.
Study context
- Population
- Adults (≥18 years) with at least 1 CHD intervention at 1 of 11 U.S. Pediatric Cardiac Care Consortium centersfemales 1,704 · males 1,369
- Participants
- 3,073 respondents
- Exposure
- Women vs Men
- Womenn = 1,704
- Menn = 1,369
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
No reproductive counseling received (female participants)
Women
48%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Having biological children
- Having biological children: P < .0001
Factors associated with receiving counseling
- Older age, later age at last surgery, marital history, severe CHD, higher income, government insurance, and more comorbidities
- P < 0.001
Original publication
Reproductive health outcomes of congenital heart disease survivors: A report from the congenital heart disease project to understand lifelong survivor experience (CHD PULSE study). Am Heart J. Published 6 January 2026. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it