Prevention

In most cases, you can't do anything to prevent having a baby with a ventricular septal defect. However, it's important to do everything possible to have a healthy pregnancy. Here are the basics:

• Get early prenatal care, even before you're pregnant. Talk to your doctor before you get pregnant about your health and discuss any lifestyle changes that your doctor may recommend for a healthy pregnancy. Also, be sure you talk to your doctor about any medications you're taking.
• Eat a balanced diet. Include a vitamin supplement that contains folic acid.
• Exercise regularly. Work with your doctor to develop an exercise plan that's right for you.
• Avoid risks. These include harmful substances such as alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs.
• Avoid infections. Be sure you're up to date on all of your vaccinations before becoming pregnant. Certain types of infections can be harmful to a developing fetus.
• Keep diabetes under control. If you have diabetes, work with your doctor to be sure it's well controlled before getting pregnant.

If you have a family history of heart defects or other genetic disorders, consider talking with a genetic counselor before getting pregnant.