A new study has found that some pregnancy problems may be linked to a higher chance of having a stroke before the age of 50.
The study was published on August 6, 2025, in the journal Neurology, which is the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
The researchers discovered that women who had certain pregnancy complications were more likely to suffer from a stroke at a younger age.
These complications included high blood pressure during pregnancy (called preeclampsia), giving birth too early (before 37 weeks), gestational diabetes, having a baby that is smaller than normal for its age, miscarriage, and stillbirth.
The study does not prove that these complications cause strokes, but it does show a strong link between them.
Dr. Frank-Erik De Leeuw, one of the lead researchers from Radboud University in the Netherlands, said that although stroke is still rare in younger women, pregnancy problems could be an early warning sign. He believes that knowing this history could help doctors find women who may benefit from early care to protect their heart and blood vessels.
The study looked at over 1,000 women who had been pregnant. Of these, 358 women had an ischemic stroke (a type of stroke caused by a blocked blood vessel) between the ages of 18 and 49. The other 714 women did not have a stroke.
Researchers compared how often pregnancy complications happened in the two groups. They found that 51% of women who had a stroke had experienced at least one complication during pregnancy, compared to only 31% of women who did not have a stroke.
After adjusting for the age at which the women had their first pregnancy, the researchers found that women who had a stroke were more than twice as likely to have had a pregnancy complication.
The strongest link was found in women who had a stillbirth—they were nearly five times more likely to have a stroke later. Women with preeclampsia were about four times more likely, and those who gave birth early or had smaller-than-normal babies were nearly three times more likely to have a stroke.
The study also found that certain complications, like preeclampsia and early birth, were especially linked with a type of stroke caused by large artery disease. This type of stroke is often related to plaque buildup in the arteries, which is known as atherosclerosis.
Dr. De Leeuw recommends that doctors ask women about their pregnancy history when checking for stroke risk. He says we may need to start thinking about preventing heart disease and strokes in women much earlier in life, not just after menopause.
One limitation of the study is that some pregnancy information was based on what the women remembered, not on medical records. Also, the researchers couldn’t adjust for every possible risk factor, like high blood pressure or cholesterol levels.
Still, the study sends an important message: Pregnancy problems could be a sign that some women are at higher risk of stroke earlier in life.
If you care about stroke, please read research about Stronger high blood pressure treatment may help prevent stroke in older people and findings of Stroke death risk increases again after falling for 40 years.
For more about stroke, please read research about Research finds a better high blood pressure treatment for stroke patients and findings of Scientists find a better drug than statins for stroke patients.
The study is published in Neurology.
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