• Posted March 10, 2026

Stress of Pregnancy Complications Might Impact Future Heart Health, Study Says

Women who have pregnancy complications might face a higher risk of heart disease, a new study has concluded.

The stress of these complications increase a woman’s risk of high blood pressure for years after they deliver, researchers reported March 9 in the journal Hypertension.

“For women who were having babies for the first time and had complications, referred to as adverse pregnancy outcomes, we found that higher stress levels over time were associated with higher blood pressure levels two to seven years after delivery,” lead researcher Virginia Nuckols, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Delaware, said in a news release.

“This suggests that women who had pregnancy complications may be more susceptible to the negative effects of stress on their heart health, and taking steps to manage and reduce stress could be important for protecting long-term heart health,” she said.

For the new study, researchers tracked the health of more than 3,000 women experiencing a first pregnancy at 17 hospitals located in eight states.

The team assessed each woman’s stress levels in their first and third trimester, as well as two and seven years after delivery.

Researchers compared this stress to women’s later heart health, taking into account complications like pre-eclampsia, pre-term birth, stillbirth or a smaller baby.

Results showed that women who experienced pregnancy complications had higher stress levels over time. Further, that stress was associated with elevated blood pressure readings up to seven years after delivery.

On the other hand, women who did not have pregnancy complications had no higher blood pressure associated with stress.

“The blood pressure differences we observed in women with higher perceived stress levels were apparent in young women only 25 years of age, on average,” Nuckols said. “Although these blood pressure differences were modest (about 2 mm Hg), slight increases in blood pressure can affect heart disease risk over time.”

The study could not prove a direct cause-and-effect link between stress, pregnancy complications and heart disease, researchers noted.

It’s also not clear how higher stress might lead to higher blood pressure in women who have troubled pregnancies, researchers said.

“Future studies should examine why women with a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes may be more susceptible to stress-driven increases in blood pressure and test whether stress reduction interventions can actually lower cardiovascular risk for these women,” Nuckols said.

Guidelines recommend keeping a close eye on blood pressure during and after a pregnancy, researchers noted.

“This study highlights the powerful connection between the mind and heart, emphasizing the importance of stress management, particularly for those who have experienced adverse pregnancy outcomes,” Dr. Laxmi Mehta, chair of the American Heart Association’s Council on Clinical Cardiology, said in a news release.

“For the clinical care team, it reinforces the need to proactively assess and address stress as part of the comprehensive care we provide to our patients,” added Mehta, who was not part of the new study. “Future research on whether targeted interventions to reduce or manage stress has a meaningful impact on long-term cardiovascular outcomes will be important as well.”

More information

The National Institutes of Health has more on heart health and pregnancy.

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, March 9, 2026