Can congenital heart disease be detected during pregnancy?

Some congenital heart diseases can be screened during pregnancy through prenatal examinations, but the screening results do not cover all types, especially milder or more complex lesions. Early professional examinations are critical to determining the health of the fetus.

Currently, commonly used methods include fetal echocardiography, four-dimensional color ultrasound, and genetic screening. Fetal cardiac color ultrasound is an important tool for early detection of congenital heart disease. It is usually performed between 20 and 24 weeks of pregnancy and can detect common types of obvious structural abnormalities such as ventricular septal defect and tetralogy of Fallot. Four-dimensional color ultrasound mainly observes the heart morphology and blood flow of the fetus, and is suitable for understanding dynamic changes in the cardiovascular system. If a genetic risk of heart disease is suspected through family history or a doctor's diagnosis, non-invasive prenatal genetic screening or amniocentesis can be selected to further screen for chromosome-related pathological changes.

In pregnancy health management, in addition to regular monitoring, pregnant women also need to control cardiovascular risk factors, such as avoiding the induction of chronic diseases such as hyperglycemia and hypertension. Reasonable control of diet is an important part of reducing the risk of fetal disease. It is recommended to consume foods rich in folic acid (such as spinach and oranges), omega-3 fatty acids (such as deep-sea fish), and sufficient high-quality protein (such as eggs and lean meat) to help the development of the fetal heart. If a pregnant woman has high-risk factors such as a family history of congenital heart disease and a history of recurrent miscarriage, she should consult a genetics expert or cardiologist for more personalized guidance.

If any abnormality is discovered, you should immediately go to a professional institution for further evaluation and diagnosis, and cooperate with the doctor to develop a treatment plan after the fetus is born.