Pregnancy in Patients with Prosthetic Heart Valves (Starr-Edwards)

Three cases of successful pregnancies in women with Starr-Edwards prosthetic heart valves are described and 10 cases from the literature are reviewed. Prosthetic heart valves do not contraindicate pregnancy. Anticoagu-lation should be continued until term with the treatment carefully controlled and the prothrombin values within therapeutic range at all times. The use of oral contraceptives in these patients is not advised until further experiences are obtained.