Pregnancy complications can put women at an increased risk of early death for the next 40 years

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2024-04-16 01:00

International

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Women who had pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes, preterm delivery, high blood pressure, preeclampsia and having a small birthweight baby, may have an increased risk of dying prematurely that lasts for over 40 years. The research, which used data on 2 million Swedish women, found that having any of these five pregnancy complications could increase the risk of premature death by 1.1 to 1.5 times, and that risk remained high even 30 to 46 years after giving birth. The researchers say women who have experienced these pregnancy complications need early preventive evaluation and long-term follow-up to help detect and treat the chronic disorders linked with premature mortality.

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From:

Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes and Long-Term Mortality in Women

About The Study: In a national cohort study of more than 2 million women in Sweden, women who experienced any of five major adverse pregnancy outcomes (preterm delivery, small for gestational age, preeclampsia, other hypertensive disorders, and gestational diabetes) had increased mortality risks that remained elevated more than 40 years later. Women with adverse pregnancy outcomes need early preventive evaluation and long-term follow-up for detection and treatment of chronic disorders associated with premature mortality.

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Research JAMA, Web page Please link to the article in online versions of your report (the URL will go live after the embargo ends).

Journal/
conference: JAMA Internal Medicine

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: The University of Texas, USA

Funder: This work was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health (R01 HL139536 to Drs Crump and K. Sundquist), the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Heart Lung Foundation, and an ALF project grant between Region Skåne and Lund University in Sweden.

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