United States: Women who develop pregnancy complications face elevated heart health risks in the future, especially among those who are overweight or obese, according to research findings.
Pregnant individuals with preexisting weight problems face heightened risks of gestational diabetes and high blood pressure complications, according to researcher findings.
Pregnancy Acts as a Health “Stress Test”
The complications during pregnancy function as automatic stress tests, which reveal important details about future health outcomes and chronic disease risk for women, according to researchers.
The results “suggest that prioritizing weight management among those considering pregnancy may promote both maternal and future cardiovascular health,” lead investigator Jaclyn Borrowman, a postdoctoral research fellow at Northwestern University, said in a news release.
Pregnancy-related complications like preeclampsia (high blood pressure) can happen during and after pregnancy. Learn about urgent maternal warning signs. And speak up if something doesn't feel right.#HearHer https://t.co/oBD1svmB3N #BMHW25 pic.twitter.com/avNr5rrdQ9
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Long-Term Study Follows Over 4,300 Women
Researchers monitored over 4,300 pregnant women throughout nine nations during a 10 to 14-year period following their childbirth.
The researchers reported that 67% of women had normal BMI values among the study participants, while 22% were overweight and 11% were obese. The body mass index (BMI) operates as an estimate of body fat distribution through measurement of height and weight.
Study findings revealed that women with gestational diabetes progressed to higher blood sugar levels together with additional warning signs of type 2 diabetes during later life stages.
During pregnancy, when a woman develops high blood pressure, she faces an increased risk of experiencing similar blood pressure issues in her later years.
Borrowman highlighted that pregnancy complications only increased women’s heart disease risk in the future, but they were not sufficient to eliminate this risk entirely. Other factors are involved.
Pregnancy complications may affect future heart health, especially for overweight women, a new study reveals. #publichealth #pregnancy #hearthealth https://t.co/QZORZG5Dn8
— HealthDay News (@HealthDayTweets) April 18, 2025
“Understanding the connection between adverse pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular disease is important in the development of effective preventative strategies and determining the best timing for intervention to support long-term heart health,” Borrowman said.
Experts Urge Preventative Focus
Dr. Garima Sharma wrote an editorial to highlight how the study offers valuable information which medical professionals can utilize for postpartum heart risk factor tracking of their patients, as reported by HealthDay.
“The results of the study underscore the value in addressing excess [fatty tissue] in the pre-pregnancy and postpartum period, particularly as there are options with emerging therapies such new anti-obesity medications,” Sharma, director of cardio-obstetrics at Inova Health System in Virginia, said in a news release,