Only 17% of women who had gestational diabetes or pregnancy-related hypertension are offered health screening during the postpartum period, a study has shown.
This finding has sparked concerns due to women affected by these conditions being at greater risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke in the future.
Cardiovascular disease can be diagnosed faster if people undergo screening for high blood pressure, lipids and sugars, previous research has reported.
Lead author Dr Amy Yu said: “There’s increasing evidence that maternal health during pregnancy is associated with long-term vascular health.
“Guidelines recommend that women with high blood pressure or sugar during pregnancy should have their blood sugar and cholesterol checked after the pregnancy, so we set out to evaluate whether Ontarians were getting these tests done.”
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During the trial, the team of researchers analysed the health outcomes of more than one million women who were pregnant between 2002 and 2019.
More than 80% of the participants who developed gestational diabetes or hypertension during their pregnancy did not get screened in the year following their birth, the study has revealed.
Dr Yu explained: “Women should be aware of their risk for cardiovascular disease, so that they can ask their doctors about risk factor screening.
“Having this knowledge can also support patients’ decision-making about lifestyle changes, which could improve their vascular health.”
Read the study in the ‘Go Red for Women’ issue of Circulation.
