Monday, 28 January 2019 10:49

Can pregnancy raise the risk of heart disease subsequently in women?

Written by

Studies on pregnant women have shown that Pregnancy causes some changes in vascular properties and is known to cause an increase in blood volume and heart rates in the mother during pregnancy. However, these were thought of as temporary changes which go down after pregnancy. The impact of pregnancy on the subsequent development of heart disease in women has always been debated.

In the new study, a team from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China reviewed 10 studies. It involved nearly three million women worldwide, with more than 150,000 diagnosed with heart disease or strokes during the following six to 52 years.

Women who have given birth have a higher chance of developing heart disease and strokes than those who are childless, a new study says.

The findings, published in the European Society of Cardiology journal, showed that giving birth has a 14 per cent higher risk of heart disease and strokes. In addition, there was a significant association between the number of pregnancies and the risk of cardiovascular disease

Women had a four per cent increase in the incidence of cardiovascular disease each time they gave birth, regardless of weight, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking and income.

Each delivery increased the risk of coronary heart disease by five per cent and strokes by three per cent, the researchers said.

Wang Dongming, the lead researcher from the varsity, said - pregnancy could cause inflammation within the body and accumulation of fat tissue around the abdomen, in the blood and arteries.

These changes may have a permanent impact on the cardiovascular system, leading to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

However, he said women could do a lot to prevent cardiovascular disease. The researchers suggested quitting smoking, doing more exercises, a healthy diet, and controlling weight to improve future health.

So - Mama’s - another reason to get fitter and active after pregnancy.

Last modified on Friday, 01 March 2019 08:33
Dr Padma

Dr Padma is a Family care physician and is the Founder and CEO of MedHealthTV.

www.medhealthtv.com

Leave a comment

Make sure you enter all the required information, indicated by an asterisk (*). HTML code is not allowed.