Millennials and Gen Zers are more vulnerable to developing high blood pressure in pregnancy as compared to the baby boom generation women. The details revealed through a new study are also relevant to gestational hypertension and pre-eclampsia.
High BP in pregnancy can also be fatal and is a leading cause of death for both the baby and the mother. Besides, high BP leads to heart failure, and the chances of premature delivery are more evident.
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“While there are many reasons for the generational changes observed, we hypothesize that this is largely due to the observed generational decline in heart health. We are seeing more people in recent generations entering pregnancy with risk factors such as obesity,” says Dr. Sadiya Khan, assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago.
The study is based on data on 38 million women between 1995 and 2019. The study focused on first pregnancies. The numbers were sourced through the ‘National Vital Statistics System Natality Database.’
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The study highlights the need to enhance awareness about bp’s potential threats in pregnancy and the short-term and long-term impacts it can have on the mother and baby.
“This is the first multi-generational study that moves beyond the age of the mom or the calendar year of the delivery to understand patterns of hypertension in pregnancy. This is especially important when we look at the legacy of substantial racial and ethnic disparities in this high-risk condition that affects the mom and the baby,” Khan adds further.