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Cardiovascular risk factor burden and adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with cardiovascular disease

Valerie C Nemov1, Alden Dunham1, Claudio Schenone Giugni2

  • 1University of South Florida, Morsani College of Medicine; 560 Channelside Drive, Tampa, FL, 33602, USA.

American Heart Journal Plus : Cardiology Research and Practice
|November 20, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Pre-conception cardiovascular risk factors did not predict adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with cardiovascular disease. However, higher risk burdens were linked to pre-term birth, highlighting the need for optimizing cardiovascular health before pregnancy.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Obstetrics
  • Reproductive Health

Background:

  • Cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women poses risks during pregnancy.
  • Adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs) like pre-term birth are associated with future maternal CVD.
  • Understanding pre-conception risk factors is crucial for managing pregnancy in women with CVD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between pre-conception cardiovascular risk factor burden and APOs in women with pre-existing CVD.
  • To identify specific APOs influenced by cardiovascular risk.
  • To inform strategies for improving pregnancy outcomes in this high-risk population.

Main Methods:

  • A patient registry from a cardio-obstetrics program was utilized.
  • APOs were defined as intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP), and pre-term birth.
  • Statistical analysis was performed on data from 63 women.

Main Results:

  • Overall, 33.3% of women experienced at least one APO.
  • Pre-conception risk factor burden was not a significant predictor of overall APO development (p=0.139).
  • Significantly higher cardiovascular risk factor burdens were observed in women with pre-term delivery (p<0.001) and those with chronic hypertension with superimposed HDP (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

  • While overall pre-conception risk burden may not predict all APOs, it is significantly associated with pre-term birth in women with CVD.
  • Optimizing cardiovascular health before conception is vital for mitigating risks, particularly pre-term delivery, in women with cardiovascular disease.
  • This emphasizes the importance of preconception care in cardio-obstetrics.
Abstract

Keywords:
Adverse pregnancy outcomesCardio-obstetricsCardiovascular diseaseHypertensive disorder of pregnancyPregnancy

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