Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. The evaluation of individuals with valvular heart disease who are or wish to become pregnant is a difficult issue. Issues that have to be address are the risks during pregnancy to the mother and the developing fetus. In individuals who require an artificial heart valve, consideration must be made for deterioration of the valve over time (for bioprosthetic valves) versus the risks of anticoagulation during pregnancy.