Women's awareness of cardiovascular disease risk after complications of pregnancy
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 25, 2025
Assessment of Maternal Vascular Remodeling During Pregnancy in the Mouse Uterus
Published on: December 5, 2015
Emily Aldridge1, Maleesa Pathirana2, Melanie Wittwer3
1Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia; Robinson Research Institute, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Austarlia; Department of Cardiology, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, Elizabeth Vale, Australia.
Background:
Certain maternal complications of pregnancy, including hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, gestational diabetes mellitus, birth of a growth restricted infant, idiopathic preterm labour, and placental abruption, are associated with a significantly increased risk of future maternal cardiovascular disease. In Australia, it is relatively unknown how many women with a history of complicated pregnancies are aware of their future cardiovascular disease risk.
Aim:
The aim of this study was to determine what percentage of women attending a cardiovascular disease prevention clinic in South Australia soon after a complicated pregnancy were aware of their increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Methods:
This prospective observational study included 188 women attending a postpartum prevention clinic between 7th August 2018 and 10th February 2021. These women had experienced a serious maternal complication of pregnancy approximately seven months earlier. Women completed a self-administered health awareness survey immediately prior to their first clinic appointment to assess their awareness of their increased cardiovascular risk.
Findings:
Over two-thirds (69.1 %) of the women were unaware of the association between pregnancy complications and cardiovascular disease, and 6.4 % of the cohort did not realise they had experienced a complicated pregnancy. Almost 10 % of the cohort did not correctly identify the complication/s they had been diagnosed with during pregnancy.
Conclusion:
Awareness of the association between complications of pregnancy and future cardiovascular disease was low in our cohort of women who had experienced a complication of pregnancy only seven months earlier. This emphasises the need for improved education for and communication with women to assist in implementing preventative care strategies.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Mitral Valve Prolapse III: Nursing Management
01:30Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction
01:20Pathophysiology of Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune-mediated destruction of pancreatic β cells, with environmental factors potentially triggering this process in genetically susceptible individuals. Despite many not having a family history, certain genes increase susceptibility,...
01:28Cardiomyopathy VII: Pre and Post Operative Nursing Management
01:23Assessment of the Cardiovascular System I: Subjective Data
Initial Enquiry
Ask the patient about their primary concern and thoroughly explore all reported symptoms.
Medical History
Investigate past illnesses affecting the cardiovascular system, such as angina, anemia, rheumatic fever, congenital heart disease, stroke, thrombophlebitis, dysrhythmias, varicosities
Inquire about symptoms...
01:20Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...