Women with pregnancy complications have increased risk of heart disease

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Women who had multiple health complications during pregnancy are at higher risk of developing and dying from heart disease later in life.

A 50-year study published in the journal Circulation found that women with high levels of sugar in their urine were four times likely to die from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and twice likely to die from low levels of hemoglobin. Additionally, combinations of complications also increased heart disease death, according to Eureka Alert, including:

• Seven times higher risk for pre-existing high blood pressure and a preterm delivery
• Nearly five times higher for pre-existing high blood pressure and delivery of baby with low birth weight
• Five times greater for high blood pressure and preterm delivery
• Six times higher for pre-existing blood pressure and pre-eclampsia

For the study, investigators gathered more than 15,500 data on pregnant women from 1959 to 1967 from the Public Health Institute's Child Health and Development Studies (CHDS). According to the press release, the findings of the study confirmed previous research that linked CVD with pregnancy conditions including pre-term delivery, pre-eclampsia, and delivery of low-weight babies.

However, the study could not prove that pregnancy complications cause CVD deaths, only an association of the disease in women later in life.

"It's not clear if it's that having complications during pregnancy is increasing the risk or if it's that the same risk factors that lead to complications like hypertension and pre-eclampsia during pregnancy are the same risk factors that lead to heart disease. And honestly I believe the latter is more likely," said Dr. Rita Redberg from the American Heart Association, via CBS News.

According to Dr. Barbara Cohn, lead author of the study from CHDS, low hemoglobin levels and high glucose levels should be observed in pregnant women as it may indicate higher risk of stroke, heart attack or heart failure.

"Pregnancy really is a stress test for the cardiovascular system. If these physicians could take note of whether their patients had some of these complications, they might be able to intervene early," said Dr. Cohn, via WebMD. "It's a low-cost way of finding women who might be able to benefit from the dramatic advances in cardiovascular medicine that have occurred over the last few decades."

Cohn added that women should also inform their doctors about complications during their pregnancy. This could greatly help women in taking an active role of lowering their risk of developing and dying from CVD.

"These findings are important because we think that by asking women about pregnancy history, doctors might be able to save lives," Dr. Cohn told Live Science.