Later pregnancy increases risk of heart attacks

In 2014, 4% of newborns in England and Wales were born to mothers aged over 40, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, but new research presented at the American Stroke Association indicate there may be future health problems for women who give birth later in life.

The study collected data from 72,000 women, 3,300 of whom reported that they became pregnant later in life.  The researchers compared their rates of stroke, heart attack and cardiovascular death over 12 years of follow up with women who were pregnant at a younger age and found that in each category these women had worse outcomes.

Prof Adnan Qureshi, lead researcher and director of the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute in Minnesota, said: “We already knew that older women were more likely than younger women to experience health problems during their pregnancy…now, we know that the consequences of that later pregnancy stretch years into the future. Women with a late pregnancy need to be aware of their increased risk and take steps to improve their cardiovascular health.”

For more on this story see the Guardian article here