Page 15 - Pro-active Management of Women’s Health after Cardiometabolic Complicated Pregnancies

Figure 1.2. Risk of cardiovascular disease associated with a maternal placental syndrome (MPS, composite of preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, placental abruption or placental infarction) or an affected fetus or both3
cholesterol level21 31, higher BMI31 32 and tend to be more insulin resistant25 33 compared to women after an uncomplicated pregnancy. However, due to their relative young age traditional risk prediction models34-40 cannot identify these women as high-risk the first years after their pregnancy41. Extrapolated to an older age however, these women are clearly high-risk for cardiovascular events41.
Risk factors for cardiovascular disease also increase the risk of preeclampsia18 42, suggesting a ‘common soil’ for preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction and cardiovascular disease (figure 1.3). Since studies focus on women after their pregnancy, it remains unclear whether the preeclampsia itself (irreversibly) affects cardiovascular health and whether different aspects of preeclampsia (severity, duration of the disease) have different effects on cardiovascular health.
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