Why Your Pregnancy History Is Still Impacting Your Health
Time flies. One moment you are holding a newborn in your arms, the next, they’re off to university. What may surprise you even more, however, is that decades after you gave birth, your pregnancy history can still influence your health risks. Australian researchers have recently confirmed that women who have given birth to three or more children are at higher risk of heart failure as they age.
The risk relates to the way your body responds to pregnancy. “When you are pregnant, your heart and blood vessels go through considerable adaptation,” explains Anna Beale, cardiology trainee and PhD researcher who led the research at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute.
“The volume of blood circulating increases substantially, and the vessels expand to accommodate that. What we are seeing, straight after pregnancy but increasingly as you get older, is what’s called a stiffening of the heart itself, as well as the elastic properties of the blood vessels.”
If you’ve never heard of stiff heart syndrome, you’re not alone. “It’s a condition we’ve become aware of over the last decade. Essentially the heart is not getting enough blood to circulate around the body,” Dr Beale says. “It can be very debilitating; people can get really short of breath when exercising and may suffer a build-up of fluid in the legs and lungs. It’s twice as common among women compared with men and my PhD is to find out why that is.”
Unlike other forms of heart disease, there are as yet no medications that treat stiff heart syndrome, so it’s important to find ways to combat the causes which can also include high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
The good news is that, regardless of how many children you have had, there is one significant step you can take to prevent stiff heart syndrome – and that is regular physical workouts.
“Getting your heart rate up with cardio exercise is helpful in reducing your risk of developing the condition and in ameliorating the severity of the condition,” Dr Beale says. “Your heart really needs to be working at a high rate to have an effect.”
Stiff heart is not the only pregnancy-related risk that can affect you in later years. Women who developed pre-eclampsia in pregnancy, for instance, double their risk of heart disease and stroke. Again, this risk appears immediately following pregnancy and increases with age.
“There’s a lot more work to be done in this area,” Dr Beale says, but one thing is clear: women who have been pregnant need to do what they can to protect their heart. “It’s important for women to get their blood pressure checked regularly and maintain a healthy weight.
“So many women are time-poor and don’t prioritise their own health, but this is one area where you need to be vigilant.”
This information is general only. Always seek advice from a medical practitioner about your personal health conditions. We do not accept any liability for any injury, loss or damage caused by use of the information provided in our website.
Words_ Ute Junker
Photos_ Magdalin Nicole/Pexels