Women who experience pregnancy-related complications, particularly gestational diabetes and preeclampsia, are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease later in life, according to study results.

In the prospective Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), researchers studied the associations of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm delivery and size for gestational age with calculated 10-year CVD risk and CV risk factors measured 18 years after pregnancy in 3,416 women in Avon, United Kingdom.

“We wanted to learn about possible explanations as to why women with pregnancy complications tend to have more heart disease later in life,” study researcher Abigail Fraser, PhD, MPH, of the School of Social and Community Medicine at the University of Bristol, United Kingdom, said in a press release.

Of the women included in the analyses, 29.8% experienced one pregnancy-related complication, 5.2% experienced two and 0.8% experienced three, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, preterm delivery and babies who were large or small for gestational age at birth.

According to study data, gestational diabetes and preeclampsia raised risk for CVD by 26% and 31%, respectively. Researchers found gestational diabetes had a positive association with fasting glucose and insulin, whereas preeclampsia was associated with higher BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, lipids and insulin. The ORs for the calculated 10-year CVD risk based on the Framingham prediction score was 1.31 (95% CI, 1.11-1.53) for preeclampsia and 1.26 (95% CI, 0.95-1.68) for gestational diabetes.

Study results showed that women with large for gestational age babies had larger waist circumference and higher concentrations of blood glucose vs. women with appropriate for gestational age babies. Women with small for gestational age babies and preterm delivery had higher BP.

“Pregnancy may provide an opportunity to identify women at increased risk for heart disease while they are relatively young; thus, it would be useful for medical professionals to have information on pregnancy complications so they can recommend lifestyle changes and any necessary medical intervention sooner,” Fraser said. “A woman who experiences complications during pregnancy should be proactive and ask her doctor about future CVD risk and steps she should take to modify her risk.”

Source: Endocrine Today