Blood Pressure During Pregnancy May Be a Clue to Future Heart Health

For years, pregnancy was seen as a short-term health chapter—but new research is proving it can be a powerful predictor of your future heart health.

A recent study from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California found that small changes in your blood pressure during pregnancy may help forecast your risk for high blood pressure (hypertension) years later.

Researchers followed 854 women during pregnancy and up to five years postpartum and identified three distinct blood pressure patterns. Most women (80%) maintained consistently low systolic blood pressure (the top number of a blood pressure reading). Another 7% started with higher blood pressure, saw a dip mid-pregnancy, and then experienced an increase—these women often had complications like preeclampsia and were already considered high-risk.

But it was the third group—about 12% of participants—that stood out: Their blood pressure began slightly elevated (though still within a clinically normal range) and never dropped in the second trimester. While they didn’t have traditional red flags, these women were 4.91 times more likely to develop hypertension within five years of giving birth compared to those with consistently low blood pressure.

The study’s senior researcher Shohreh Farzan, PhD, notes that what’s especially concerning is how easily this group could be overlooked. Without typical risk factors, they likely wouldn’t be flagged for additional monitoring or warned of their long-term risk.

The findings suggest that even clinically normal—but subtly elevated—blood pressure readings during pregnancy can carry long-term implications. Mapping these patterns more closely, especially whether blood pressure drops mid-pregnancy, could help clinicians identify those who may benefit from earlier interventions after birth.

This research comes as both the American Heart Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) increase their focus on women’s heart health—particularly in the years between pregnancy and menopause, a time that has long been under-researched. Other recent studies have already connected postpartum depression with future cardiovascular issues and even pregnancy complications to family heart disease risk.

“Women’s health can change a lot between pregnancy and menopause, but it’s a period we know very little about,” first study author Zhongzheng (Jason) Niu, PhD, said. “Our study helps fill that gap in understanding when it comes to hypertension.”

The takeaway? Even if your pregnancy blood pressure is slightly above “normal,” it’s worth asking your provider about how it trends throughout each trimester. A simple blood pressure map during pregnancy could help flag potential risks early and keep you healthier in the long run.

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