If HLHS is diagnosed in-utero, preparations for treatment can be made; however, HLHS babies suffer no harmful effects in the womb, so no treatment is required until birth.  Treatment alternatives after birth are palliative surgical treatment, heart transplant, or compassionate care

Dr. Mani discusses Medical Termination of Pregnancy, or MTP.

MTP is a very sensitive topic.  Each affected family must make this decisions based on their own beliefs and expectations for the future.  No family should ever be made to feel guilty for choosing MTP once all of the alternatives have been examined.  MTP is very common, especially in Europe, where 70% of in-utero diagnoses result in MTP.  Tragically in many cases, however, those who choose MTP are only presented outdated statistics before making their decision.  It is an especially devastating tragedy when outdated statistics and grim previews of life ahead are presented to the parents in a deliberate attempt to persuade parents to choose MTP.  These recommendations are sometimes reportedly biased by a facility's lack of experience or a patient's lack of insurance.  One of the purposes of this website is to provide information that will help give those who may be expecting an HLHS baby an unbiased preview of what life will be like.  Every family has their own story, and it is important to read the memorials as well as the success stories before making any decision that cannot be changed.  In most cases, the authors of this website are opposed to MTP for HLHS babies, but we accept the fact that many do not share this opposition.  Our only hope is that we can help to educate people about the extremely high current success rates compared with older published values, and to provide links to show the support that is available to those expecting an HLHS baby (see HLHS support).