Certain pregnancy complications could reveal future heart disease risk much earlier than standard tests, highlighting the importance of long-term cardiovascular care for women.
The term “natural stress test” for pregnancy refers to the natural nature of the test. New evidence indicates, however, that certain complications in pregnancy can start to uncover what’s wrong with the heart years ahead of when conventional tests will pick up the trouble.
New research from a study presented at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Annual Scientific Session 2025 and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) revealed that issues faced during pregnancy can be more than just momentary challenges. They can be a sign of future cardiovascular conditions, especially in women that are overweight prior to pregnancy.
What did the study find?
Over 10 years researchers examined women of childbearing age after birth, and discovered those who suffered from adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) such as gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension and preeclampsia were at a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease later in life.
The research indicates these pregnancy problems can be an early sign of heart disease risk, as doctors could spot women in need of preventive treatment sooner years before they’d otherwise be eligible for regular heart disease screening.
Previous studies of over 2.1 million women in Sweden also showed that having children with pregnancy-related complications (preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, small-for-gestational-age baby) were linked to an increased risk of heart disease that lasted for decades after giving birth.
Why do pregnancy complications affect the heart?
It is thought that pregnancy puts an additional strain on the heart and blood vessels. Pregnancy complications can be a sign that a woman’s cardiovascular system is already weak.
The American Heart Association (AHA) states that some medical factors such as preeclampsia and gestational hypertension are known risk factors for future cardiovascular disease. After pregnancy, expect these women to be monitored for blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar and other determinants of heart health regularly.
What do health organizations recommend?
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), health care providers should consider a woman’s pregnancy history when determining her lifetime risk of heart disease. These lifestyle factors are very important in helping to significantly reduce cardiovascular risk to the future such as maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, maintaining blood pressure and avoiding smoking.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) also point out that obesity prior to pregnancy, along with pregnancy complications, can contribute to long-term cardiovascular risk, so prevention is very important early on.
When you’re pregnant, birth-related issues shouldn’t be considered issues once the baby is born. Rather, they can offer valuable information about a girl’s future heart health. Identifying these warning signs early affords not only women, but also healthcare providers, the chance to take preventive measures that could lessen the likelihood of developing heart disease years, or even decades, down the road.
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