HHS HealthBeat (February 2, 2012)

The little heart that could

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

Being a healthy baby means having a healthy heart. Heart defects occur when there is a structure problem with the heart and can lead to functioning problems. It happens during pregnancy and certain women are at a higher risk.

Dr. Stuart Shapira is at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Specifically, women who are obese; women who smoke; or women who have diabetes that is not well controlled during their pregnancy.” (9 seconds)

Women who are planning a pregnancy can improve their chances of having a healthy baby, too.

“Women should talk to their health care provider about all medications that they are taking, including prescription, over the counter or non-prescription, and herbal medications. And women should talk to their health care providers about vaccines.” (14 seconds)

Learn more at hhs.gov.  

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.

Last revised: February 2, 2012