Women With Pregnancy Complications Face Higher Heart and Kidney Disease Risk: Study - Video

Women who experience pregnancy complications may face a higher risk of developing heart, metabolic and kidney conditions in later years, according to a large UK study published in BMJ Medicine.

Researchers analysed primary care and hospital records for more than 1.4 million women who had been pregnant between 2000 and 2022. Participants were followed for an average of four years to assess later development of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease.

Gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia were associated with more than three times the rate of hypertension later in life and about twice the rate of chronic kidney disease. They were also linked to smaller increases in cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Gestational diabetes showed the strongest association with future type 2 diabetes, with women experiencing about seven times the rate of the condition. It was also associated with higher rates of hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

The researchers identified associations involving other pregnancy complications for which evidence has been more limited. Postnatal depression after the latest pregnancy was associated with a 35% to 56% higher rate of the four cardiometabolic-renal conditions.

Miscarriage, stillbirth, placental abruption and preterm birth were also associated with modestly higher rates of one or more outcomes. Having a baby who was small or large for gestational age was similarly linked to an increased risk of at least one condition.

Importantly, the study was observational and cannot establish that pregnancy complications directly cause later disease. Instead, these complications may act as markers of underlying cardiometabolic or renal risk.

The researchers suggest that taking a complete reproductive history during postnatal care could help identify women who may benefit from earlier risk assessment and preventive strategies.

REFERENCE: Steven Wambua, et al.; Pregnancy complications and risk of cardiometabolic-renal conditions in 1.4 million women in England: longitudinal study; BMJ Medicine; 2026; doi:10.1136/bmjmed-2026-003035