What causes congenital heart disease?
What causes congenital heart disease?
CHD happens when your baby’s heart doesn’t develop correctly while they're in their mother’s womb. Scientists don’t fully understand why that happens, but it may be related to:
- Abnormal chromosomes or genetics.
- Drinking or smoking during pregnancy (or significant environmental exposures such as secondhand smoke).
- Illnesses in the mother during pregnancy (diabetes, drug use, phenylketonuria or viral infection).