Adverse pregnancy outcomes associated with increased risk of midlife stroke

A history of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APO) is associated with higher odds of midlife stroke. APO included preterm delivery, low birth weight, preeclampsia, placental abruption, and stillbirth in the study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Women’s Health. Click here to read the article now.

Eliza Miller, MD from Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and coauthors, found that stroke before age 60 was reported by 5% of 164 women with APOs, compared to 1% of women without APOs – a significant difference – with a mean age at stroke of 49 years.

“Remarkably, nearly 4 in 10 women in our sample who suffered a stroke before the age of 60 had a history of APOs,” stated the investigators. “Our results suggest that common APOs may offer a glimpse into women’s cerebrovascular health, and a unique opportunity to implement primary preventive strategies in a population at high risk of future stroke.”

“Given the findings of Miller and colleagues, providers should consider women with a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes at increased risk of stroke during midlife and implement preventive measures,” says Journal of Women’s Health Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA.

About the Journal

Journal of Women’s Health, published monthly, is a core multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the diseases and conditions that hold greater risk for or are more prevalent among women, as well as diseases that present differently in women. Led by Editor-in-Chief Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Executive Director of the Virginia Commonwealth University Institute for Women’s Health, Richmond, VA, the Journal covers the latest advances and clinical applications of new diagnostic procedures and therapeutic protocols for the prevention and management of women’s healthcare issues. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Women’s Health website. Journal of Women’s Health is the official journal of the Society for Women’s Health Research.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. A complete list of the firm’s more than 100 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.