Pregnancy complications are linked to higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and kidney disease later in life, according to a study of 1.4 million women
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Pregnancy can indicate health risks that persist after birth, yet complications often remain unaccounted for in subsequent preventive care.
A recently conducted large-scale study in England suggests that specific pregnancy-related conditions are associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease in the years after giving birth.
In a study conducted in England and published in BMJ Medicine, researchers analysed primary care records of 1,432,795 women aged 15 to 49 who had been pregnant between 2000 and 2022. They studied the associations between pregnancy complications and four conditions later in life: cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and chronic kidney disease.
For instance, women who experienced gestational diabetes in their most recent pregnancy had nearly seven times the rate of developing diabetes compared to those without the condition. They also exhibited higher rates of subsequent hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
In particular, the research found that hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (including preeclampsia) were associated with a 3- to 4.5-fold higher risk of developing hypertension and approximately double the risk of chronic kidney disease later in life
Postnatal depression was also associated with higher rates of all four conditions, ranging from 35% to 56% higher than among women without a history of postnatal depression.
The research suggests that pregnancy history can be useful in assessing future health risks for women and indicates that postnatal monitoring might benefit women who experienced complications during pregnancy.
Regardless of the research method, this study has limitations, as it only demonstrates correlations rather than establishing a direct causal link between pregnancy complications and long-term health problems.
The average length of the follow-up was slightly more than four years, while some vital pieces of information were missing, such as detailed data about diet and physical activity.
In any case, the findings obtained through this research suggest the necessity of treating pregnancy complications as more than just temporary conditions and emphasize the importance of further research into their correlation with long-term disease development
Reference:
Wambua, S. et al. (2026). Pregnancy complications and risk of cardiometabolic-renal conditions in 1.4 million women in England: longitudinal study. BMJ Medicine.
https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjmed-2026-003035