Can High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Shorten Breastfeeding Duration? Study Sheds Light - Video

Women diagnosed with hypertensive disorders during pregnancy (HDP) are less likely to initiate or continue breastfeeding, potentially missing out on long-term heart health benefits, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open.

Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy disproportionately impact non-Hispanic Black/African American and American Indian/Alaskan Native women, contributing to significant health inequities. Importantly, Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy also increase long-term risks for cardiovascular disease, stroke, and kidney disorders.

In this study, researchers from Yale School of Medicine analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), covering over 205,000 participants who gave birth between 2016 and 2021. The sample represented a weighted population of nearly 11 million women from 43 states, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico. Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy was defined by self-reported high blood pressure, preeclampsia, or eclampsia before or during pregnancy. Breastfeeding initiation and duration were measured through postpartum survey responses.

The study found that women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy had 11% higher odds of never breastfeeding. Among those who initiated, they were 17% more likely to stop early, with a median breastfeeding duration 17 weeks shorter than their counterparts without hypertensive disorders in pregnancy.

“This paper provides foundational knowledge on which to build future studies to understand how our health systems can best support those individuals with hypertension in reaching their personal infant feeding goals. As a system, we must do better about supporting women with hypertensive disorders in pregnancy in reaching whatever their infant feeding goal may be, particularly if it involves any amount of breastfeeding. Such support could promise long term improvements in health outcomes for many pregnant individuals and their infants, especially among communities with high risk of cardiometabolic disease and breastfeeding cessation,” said Deanna Nardella, an instructor of pediatrics and physician-scientist with Yale School of Medicine and first author of the study.

Reference: Nardella D, Canavan ME, Taylor SN, Sharifi M. Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Among US Women. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;8(7):e2521902. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.21902