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Pregnant women with very slightly elevated but consistently near normal blood pressures but no second trimester blood pressure drop are nearly 5 times more likely to develop serious blood pressure problems within 5 years after delivery. Epidemiologists at the USC School of Medicine report this phenomenon in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology following their study of 854 women during their pregnancies and for 5 years afterwards.

The tabulated data separated these women into 3 groups. The majority, 80.2%, had consistently normal to low pressure readings, and these women risked no later pressure issues.. Then 7.4% of the group had abnormally high pressures but a mid-pregnancy drop, and they were likely to suffer serious consequences including pre-eclampsia during their pregnancies and were more than 5 times more likely to also have pressure issues later.

The most interesting group were the 12.4% with pressures on the high normal side throughout their pregnancies. These were the women who most thought would remain healthy but instead developed serious blood presssure-related problems by 5 years.

The take hone: pregnant women with consistently high blood pressures but also those with near normal pressures but no mid-pregnancy drop should be monitored very carefully for pressure issues years after delivery.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250318175024.htm

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772963X25000778?via=ihub

#women #bloodpressure #hypertension #pregnancy #preeclampsia

Blood Pressure Fluctuations During Pregnancy Predict Later Hypertension

Dr. Howard Smith Reports