Pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia have recently been related with a higher risk of developing heart disease later in life. But a new Northwestern Medicine study has found, that obesity during or before pregnancy is the main cause for future cardiovascular disease.
Before this study, scientists were not sure which factor — pregnancy complications or obesity — played a larger role in cardiovascular disease risk years after pregnancy. This large, multi-center and diverse study is the first to disentangle that question, finally determining that pre-pregnancy obesity is the main cause for both poor pregnancy outcomes and future cardiovascular disease risk. This is the only studies to follow its participants — about half of whom were overweight or had obesity — from the beginning of their first pregnancy through many years of postpartum.
Dr. Sadiya Khan a Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology at Northwestern University says, for the first time, that adverse pregnancy results are primarily indicators — and not the main cause — of future heart health,” “This means that pregnancy just exposes the risk for heart disease which was already there.”
The study used data from the nuMoM2b Heart Health Study to prospectively follow 4,216 first-time pregnant women from the beginning stages of their pregnancy to an average of 3.7 years postpartum. At the early-pregnancy first study visit, the average maternal age was 27 years old, and 53% had a normal body mass index (BMI), 25% were overweight and 22% had obesity. Compared to those with a normal BMI in early pregnancy woman with overweight or obese BMI had a higher risk of developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
‘Pregnancy is a usual stress test for the heart’
The scientist, In the study, wanted to understand better the connections between maternal obesity, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and other adverse pregnancy outcomes, and cardiovascular health several years after delivery.
A major through line of Khan’s research is the idea of the “Zero trimester,” or pre-pregnancy health. During this critical time in a woman’s life, by improving their health can improve outcomes for not only their pregnancy and baby but for their personal long-term health.
However, it can be hard to target woman before becoming pregnant, Khan said. So, early in the pregnancy may be an appropriate time to counsel on heart-healthy habits like diet and exercise when individuals are more likely to be interacting with clinicians during prenatal visits.
Khan says that, “During pregnancy we do not want anyone to lose weight but recommend counseling and monitoring for proper gestational weight gain.”
Studies suggest that, throughout pregnancy, Pregnant woman should safely limit their weight gain by eating healthy food and exercising moderately or even vigorously.
