Cardiovascular Disease

Uncovering the Long-Term CV Risks Following Pregnancy Complications

A Swedish cohort study found that approximately 30% of pregnant women have a major pregnancy complication, which can lead to an elevated risk for ischemic heart disease that persists for decades.

Using data from 2.1M Swedish women, the authors examined five major types of adverse pregnancy outcomes: preterm delivery (< 37 weeks gestation), small for gestational age, preeclampsia, other hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and gestational diabetes.

Women with one (or more) adverse pregnancy events had increased risk for CAD out to 46 years post-pregnancy.  

  • Over the follow-up period (median 25 years, maximum 46 years), 3.8% of women were diagnosed with ischemic heart disease.
  • 10 years postpartum, those who had pregnancy-related hypertensive disorders had the greatest CAD risk (adjusted HR 2.09), followed by those with preterm delivery (HR 1.72), preeclampsia (HR 1.54), gestational diabetes (HR 1.30), and a small-for-gestational-age infant (HR 1.10).
  • 10-19 years postpartum, having a small-for-gestational-age infant was associated with the highest CAD risk.
  • 20-29 years postpartum, gestational diabetes was associated with the highest risk.
  • 30-46 years postpartum, adjusted hazard ratios for CAD decreased but remained elevated compared with those without adverse pregnancy outcomes. 

The Takeaway

Long-term risks of pregnancy complications often go unmentioned between women and their physicians in routine practice. But this study reveals that adverse pregnancy outcomes are important lifelong risk factors for heart disease, and provide an opportunity to identify high-risk women earlier than with traditional risk factors alone. 

Get twice-weekly insights on the biggest stories shaping cardiology.

You might also like

Cardiology Business June 19, 2025

Lilly Buys Verve, Bringing Gene Editing Mainstream June 19, 2025

Gene editing for heart disease just got a major boost as Eli Lilly acquired Verve Therapeutics and its one-dose cholesterol drugs for up to $1.3B, marking a new path for Verve’s therapies to go mainstream. Part of the acquisition likely stems from Verve’s recent impressive trial results for its PCSK9-blocking treatment, VERVE-102, which lowered LDL-C […]

Cardiac Imaging June 19, 2025

New AI-driven Tool Aids in Mitral Valve Assessment June 19, 2025

By: Jimmy Su, Ph.D. Principal Scientist, Cardiovascular Ultrasound, Philips A new tool, Automated 3D Color Flow Quantification (3D Auto CFQ), removes the reliance on assumptions when quantifying mitral regurgitation and replaces it with a reliable and robust, AI-driven method that delivers precise measurement of mitral valve regurgitant volume (RVol) regardless of orifice shape and size. Eliminating assumptions: Quantification […]

Cardiology Pharmaceuticals June 16, 2025

No Need to Discontinue Abelacimab Pre-Procedure June 16, 2025

A new analysis of AZALEA-TIMI 71 suggests Anthos Therapeutics’ abelacimab is capable of reducing major bleeding in patients with AFib undergoing invasive procedures. The sub-analysis examined a total of 920 procedures across 441 patients taking either abelacimab or rivaroxaban, with approximately 1-in-3 patients undergoing an invasive procedure over a median follow-up of 2.1 years. Researchers […]

You might also like..

Select All

You're signed up!

It's great to have you as a reader. Check your inbox for a welcome email.

-- The Cardiac Wire Team

You're all set!