In a new statement, researchers found 6 pregnancy-related complications – high blood pressure, gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, small-for-gestational-age delivery, pregnancy loss or placental abruption – increase a woman’s risk for developing heart disease later in life.
The statement calls for vigorous prevention of these risk factors and primary prevention of heart disease for women who experience these complications.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of California in San Francisco.
About 10% to 15% of pregnant women experience adverse pregnancy outcomes.
This statement reviews the latest research on adverse pregnancy outcomes and heart disease, specifically focused on health disparities, lifestyle and prevention recommendations.
The evidence linking adverse pregnancy outcomes to later heart disease is consistent over many years and confirmed in nearly every study.
The statement reports the magnitude of risk related to several pregnancy complications:
High blood pressure in pregnancy, called gestational hypertension, increases a woman’s risk of cardiovascular disease later in life by 67%, and increases the odds of a stroke by 83%.
Gestational hypertension is defined as blood pressure during pregnancy that is at or above 140/90 mm Hg after 20 weeks of pregnancy in a woman with previously normal readings.
Preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy coupled with signs of damage to liver, kidneys or another vital organ) is a severe condition and is linked to a 2.7 times higher risk of later cardiovascular disease.
Gestational diabetes (new onset of Type 2 diabetes during pregnancy) increases a woman’s risk of cardiovascular disease by 68% and increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes after pregnancy by 10-fold.
Having a preterm delivery (childbirth before 37 weeks) has been found to double a woman’s risk of developing heart disease and is strongly associated with later heart disease, stroke.
Placental abruption (separation of the placenta from the uterus before childbirth) is associated with an 82% increased risk of heart disease.
Stillbirth (death of a baby prior to delivery) is associated with about double the risk of heart disease.
The team says a healthy diet improves the cardiovascular health of all women, and studies suggest a healthy eating pattern during the three years before pregnancy is linked to lower risks of pregnancy complications.
The study is published in Circulation. One author of the study is Nisha I. Parikh, M.D., M.P.H.
Copyright © 2021 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
