Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/sjlLlEP08uA   Young women who suffer preterm birth or preeclampsia during their initial pregnancy have a two-fold greater risk of developing high blood pressure years later.  That hypertension can come on in only 3 years.   OB-GYN researchers at Indiana University studied nearly 4500 women with an average age of 27 at their first pregnancy.  Nearly 1 in every 3 women with a complication such as pre-eclampsia, a low birth weight baby, a pre-term delivery, or, sadly, a stillbirth later developed subsequent high blood pressure.  The risk rose with each additional complication.   Good prenatal care can prevent many pregnancy complications.  For those who do suffer them, continuing cardiovascular surveillance through the years is definitely a must.   NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. "First-time pregnancy complications linked to increased risk of hypertension later in life: Detailed pregnancy history, prevention strategies may hold a key to improving health outcomes." Science