Q: I am a 35 years old third time pregnant (10 weeks) woman. I have a 6 years old healthy boy. I had a baby last year born with CHD (Hypo plastic left heart) who survived for only 3 days. I have read about Duphaston on the internet that it can cause fetal abnormalities and I am very confused. The doctor has advised me Duphaston 20mg BD that is a 40 mg dosage per day till 3 months. I have been taking this since the confirmation of my pregnancy though I am taking only half dose of what was prescribed by the doctor i.e. 10 mg BD. Should I be given this despite the history of a child born with congenital heart disease? I have never had an abortion or miscarriage. I conceived naturally without any medication, only I had undergone follicular monitoring to know the date of ovulation. I had a late ovulation though, on the 25th day. Please advise.

A:If there is no pain abdomen or any evidence of an impending abortion like heaviness in lower abdomen or spotting per vagina, then there is no need for the Duphaston at all. As for the previous congenital heart disease, you will need to have a level 11 scan at 20 weeks and a foetal echocardiogram at about 20-22 weeks to ensure that the foetal heart is normal this time- there is definitely a higher risk of a repeat cardiac abnormality, in cases of previous cardiac defect, and these can be diagnosed before the delivery so that treatment can be planned, in such cases, with good cardiologists and cardiac surgeons available currently.