Pregnancy is a time of joy and anticipation, but for some women, it can also be a period of hidden danger. A startling new study reveals that hypertension during pregnancy isn’t just a temporary concern—it’s a red flag for serious heart disease later in life. But here’s where it gets even more alarming: women who experience high blood pressure during pregnancy are up to 17 times more likely to suffer a stroke or heart attack within five years of giving birth. That’s not a typo—17 times. And this is the part most people miss: these risks aren’t limited to one type of hypertension; they vary depending on the severity and type of the condition, with more severe cases leading to more devastating outcomes.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, which include chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, and eclampsia, affect a staggering 5-10% of pregnancies worldwide. That’s millions of women every year. The study, presented at the American Heart Association conference in New Orleans, analyzed 218,141 live births from 157,606 mothers across 22 Intermountain Health hospitals in Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada between 2017 and 2024. Among these, 31,077 cases of hypertensive disorders were reported, with most diagnosed during the first pregnancy. The average age of the participants was 29, and 87% were White.
Over an average follow-up period of 4.8 years, researchers found that women with pregnancy-related hypertension faced significantly higher risks of cardiovascular events compared to those without. For instance, they were 3 to 13 times more likely to develop heart failure, 2 to 17 times more likely to have a stroke, and 3 to 7 times more likely to experience a heart attack. Even death rates were 1 to 4 times higher. Gestational hypertension was the most common diagnosis (12,076 cases), followed by preeclampsia (over 11,046 cases), but the risks varied widely based on the specific condition.
Here’s the controversial part: While women with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy often had more comorbidities—like obesity, smoking, diabetes, or high cholesterol—the study emphasizes that these factors alone don’t fully explain the heightened risks. This raises a critical question: Are we doing enough to monitor and support these women before, during, and after pregnancy? Kismet Rasmusson, DNP, the study’s principal investigator, argues that we’re not. “We need to do a better job identifying women with these risk factors and ensuring they receive appropriate care,” she said. “This is especially urgent for those with severe forms of hypertensive disorders.”
But let’s take this a step further: Should pregnancy-related hypertension be treated as a lifelong cardiovascular risk factor, similar to smoking or high cholesterol? And if so, why isn’t this information more widely communicated to women and their healthcare providers? These are questions that deserve answers—and action. What do you think? Is enough being done to protect women’s heart health after pregnancy? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
