Pregnancy stress risks

Pregnancy is often described as a rollercoaster of emotions, with expectant mothers feeling blissful and joyous while simultaneously anxious and stressed.

But new research from the University of Delaware suggests the effects of that stress may extend far beyond delivery - and impact long-term cardiovascular health.

Women who reported higher stress levels during and after pregnancy were significantly more likely to develop elevated blood pressure years later. Higher stress trajectories over time were also more common among women who experienced pregnancy complications such as pre-eclampsia, pre-term birth and stillbirth.

The study, by Virginia Nuckols, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Kinesiology and Applied Physiology (KAAP) within the College of Health Sciences (CHS), was recently published in the journal Hypertension. The research was co-authored by Megan Wenner, associate professor of KAAP; Jody Greaney, assistant professor of health behavior and nutrition sciences; and Freda Patterson, professor and associate dean of research for CHS.

Nuckols said the findings challenge long-standing assumptions about pregnancy-related cardiovascular changes.

"The old dogma that pregnancy complications are isolated events with no lasting consequences has been disproven," said Nuckols. "Vascular dysfunction that's present during pregnancy doesn't just simply go away; it persists after pregnancy and perhaps makes women more susceptible to the effects of stress."