FRIDAY, April 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- Complications during pregnancy can mean a woman’s future heart health is at risk, particularly if she is overweight or obese, a new study says.

Women who are carrying excess weight prior to pregnancy are more likely to develop complications like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure while expecting, researchers said.

These complications act as a natural “stress test” that provides a glimpse into a woman’s future health and risks for chronic illness, researchers said.

The results “suggest that prioritizing weight management among those considering pregnancy may promote both maternal and future cardiovascular health,” lead investigator Jaclyn Borrowman, a postdoctoral research fellow at Northwestern University, said in a news release.

For the study, researchers tracked nearly 4,300 women across nine countries, following them for 10 to 14 years after their pregnancy.

About 67% of the women had a normal body mass index (BMI), 22% were overweight and 11% were obese, researchers said. BMI, which stands for body mass index, is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight.

Results showed that women who developed gestational diabetes were more likely later in life to suffer from higher blood glucose levels and other warning signs of type 2 diabetes.

Likewise, those who developed high blood pressure during pregnancy were more likely to have high blood pressure in later life.

However, Borrowman noted that these pregnancy complications only contributed to women’s future heart risk, and did not fully explain away the risk. Other factors are involved.

“Understanding the connection between adverse pregnancy outcomes and cardiovascular disease is important in the development of effective preventative strategies and determining the best timing for intervention to support long-term heart health,” Borrowman said.

In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Garima Sharma said the study provides “insightful information” that could help doctors track women’s heart risk factors following pregnancy.

“The results of the study underscore the value in addressing excess [fatty tissue] in the pre-pregnancy and postpartum period, particularly as there are options with emerging therapies such new anti-obesity medications,” Sharma, director of cardio-obstetrics at Inova Health System in Virginia, said in a news release,

The new study appears in the journal JACC.

More information

The American Heart Association has more on pregnancy complications and heart health risk.

SOURCE: American College of Cardiology, news release, April 14, 2025