When Tania Saiz suffered a stroke at 47, she had no obvious warning signs—no family history of heart disease and no major health conditions she was aware of. While searching for answers, doctors uncovered a critical detail from her past: nearly two decades earlier, during her pregnancy, she had developed preeclampsia, a dangerous condition marked by sharply elevated blood pressure.
Like many women, Saiz had never been told that this pregnancy complication could raise her long-term risk of stroke and heart disease. “Once the pregnancy ended, the issue was never discussed again,” she later said.
For generations, medicine treated pregnancy as a temporary health event. Once childbirth was over, women were assumed to return fully to their pre-pregnancy health. Modern research now shows that this assumption is often wrong. Scientists increasingly recognize pregnancy as a stress test for the body, revealing underlying risks for future cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.
According to experts at the American Heart Association, what happens during pregnancy can strongly influence a woman’s health decades later—particularly when complications arise.
The Strong Link Between Pregnancy and Later Disease
Women who experience hypertensive pregnancy disorders such as preeclampsia and pregnancy-related high blood pressure face significantly higher risks of:
- Chronic hypertension
- Coronary artery disease
- Heart failure
- Stroke
Research from the Mayo Clinic shows that women with these conditions often develop coronary artery disease seven years earlier than those with uncomplicated pregnancies. They are also twice as likely to experience a certain type of heart attack not caused by artery blockages.
Gestational diabetes presents another serious warning sign. Women diagnosed with it are about 10 times more likely to later develop Type 2 diabetes, according to specialists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Diabetes, in turn, greatly increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and dementia.
Researchers are still investigating whether pregnancy complications directly cause these later problems or simply expose an underlying vulnerability. Most experts believe both mechanisms are at work—pregnancy both reveals and accelerates risk in susceptible women.
A Dangerous Gap in Awareness
Despite updated medical guidelines recognizing pregnancy complications as major risk factors, awareness remains low—among both patients and healthcare providers.
Many doctors still do not routinely ask middle-aged women about prior pregnancy complications. Medical records from obstetric care often fail to follow patients into long-term primary care. This gap results in missed opportunities for prevention, according to cardiovascular specialists.
A recent study found that fewer than half of women who had pregnancy-related cardiovascular or metabolic complications received proper screening for blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar within three years after childbirth.
Until the late 20th century, heart disease was incorrectly considered a “man’s disease,” leaving major gaps in understanding women’s risks. Even today, many women—and their doctors—remain unaware that pregnancy history should guide long-term health monitoring.
What Women Can Do to Protect Their Future Health
Experts urge women to actively inform their primary care providers about past pregnancy complications—even decades later. This information can guide earlier and more frequent screening for:
- Blood pressure
- Blood glucose
- Cholesterol levels
Doctors may also recommend targeted lifestyle changes, including:
- A heart-healthy diet
- Regular physical activity
- Weight management
- Stress reduction
- Quality sleep
Advocacy groups stress that pregnancy complications offer what they call a “crystal ball” into future disease risk. With early awareness, many serious health outcomes can be delayed—or even prevented.
A Missed Opportunity for Many Women
For survivors like Tania Saiz, earlier education could have changed everything. Had she known that preeclampsia increased her lifetime stroke risk, she might have taken preventive steps years sooner.
Today, physicians hope that greater awareness will empower women to prioritize their long-term health—long after their children are grown. Pregnancy does not end when childbirth does; for many women, it marks the beginning of a lifelong health story that deserves careful attention.
