High Blood Pressure Affects 1 in 10 Pregnancies — and New Research Shows Why That Matters

1 week ago 1

According to a new study from researchers at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, higher blood pressure levels in pregnant women are linked to an increased risk of several pregnancy complications.

According to Fernanda Morales-Berstein, a research associate at the University of Bristol and the study’s lead author, women with higher blood pressure during pregnancy are more likely to experience complications, including “preterm delivery, giving birth to smaller babies, needing to have labor induced, gestational diabetes, and the baby needing to be admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit.”

Unlike many previous studies, the researchers did not define high blood pressure using specific clinical thresholds, such as a hypertension diagnosis.

Instead, the study examined blood pressure as a continuous measure, using genetic data to assess how increases in blood pressure across its full range may influence pregnancy outcomes.