Complications in Pregnancy Can Be Warning Sign for Future Health Problems

via Daily Women's Health Policy Report by the National Partnership for Women & Families by weekly on 3/10/11

Pregnant women who develop preeclampsia or gestational diabetes have a greater risk of developing additional health problems after their baby is born, compared with mothers who do not experience complications during pregnancy, according to recent research, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Complications in Pregnancy Can Be Warning Sign for Future Health Problems

March 9, 2011 — Pregnant women who develop preeclampsia or gestational diabetes have a greater risk of developing additional health problems after their baby is born, compared with mothers who do not experience complications during pregnancy, according to recent research, the Wall Street Journal reports. Children of women with the conditions also might experience related health problems later in life, researchers found.

Up to 8% of women develop preeclampsia during pregnancy and gestational diabetes affects up to 10% of pregnancies, according to the National Institutes of Health. The complications have been known to present immediate danger to mothers and their infants during pregnancy, but three studies have shown more long-term health effects.

According to a study of nearly 3.5 million women published in the British Medical Journal, pregnant women who develop preeclampsia, a sudden increase in blood pressure, are more than twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease or other conditions between five and 15 years after the pregnancy. In addition, a Finnish study published in the journal Stroke found that adults whose mothers had either preeclampsia or high blood pressure during pregnancy were at a greater risk of having a stroke.

Another study, published in the America Heart Association's journal Circulation, found that men whose mothers had gestational diabetes were more likely to be overweight at age 18. Gestational diabetes can increase both the mother’s and child's chances of developing diabetes later in life.

Based on the research, AHA last month updated its guidelines to list complications during pregnancy as a risk factor for developing heart problems later in life. Jennifer Mieres, an AHA spokesperson and cardiologist, said, "How a woman does in her pregnancy gives you a glimpse of what the future will be 10 years down the line." Symptoms for both preeclampsia and gestational diabetes typically disappear after women give birth, which can lead women to ignore long-term health implications (Winslow, Wall Street Journal, 3/8).

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