A research review suggests that women with pregnancy-related diabetes are at higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease in the decade after childbirth.
While so-called gestational diabetes has long been linked to an increased risk of heart disease later in life, some previous research suggests this risk may depend on whether the condition evolves into type 2 diabetes that persists after delivery.
Researchers examined data from nine previous studies with almost 5.4 million mothers. Overall, about 8,000 women with a history of gestational diabetes experienced cardiovascular events like heart attacks and strokes, as did more than 93,000 women without this pregnancy complication, Reuters reported.
Senior study author Dr. Ravi Retnakaran of the University of Toronto, said: "This study demonstrates that women with gestational diabetes have a 2-fold higher risk of major cardiovascular events than their peers."
"This increased risk is not dependent upon (type 2 diabetes). The risk differential between women with gestational diabetes and their peers emerges within the first decade after pregnancy," Retnakaran said by email.
Even when researchers looked only at women who didn’t have type 2 diabetes after pregnancy, they still found gestational diabetes associated with a 56% higher risk of serious cardiac events.
Women who do develop gestational diabetes may need regular heart health checkups even while they’re still relatively young, the study authors conclude.
