TOPLINE:

A history of pregnancy loss, particularly stillbirth and miscarriage, was associated with a higher risk for specific cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes in women.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a large prospective cohort study to evaluate whether a history of pregnancy loss was associated with an increased risk for incident CVD.
• The study included 128,869 women aged 40-69 years without prior CVD at baseline from the UK Biobank between 2006 and 2010.
• A history of pregnancy loss was assessed using self-reported data from the UK Biobank questionnaire and categorised as miscarriage, stillbirth, or termination; women reporting at least one miscarriage, stillbirth, or termination were categorised as having a negative pregnancy outcome.
• Incident CVD events, such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary artery disease, myocardial infarction, ischaemic stroke, heart failure, peripheral artery disease, atherosclerosis, and coronary revascularisation, were identified using linked hospital records.
• Women were stratified according to age groups (< 50, 50-60, and > 60 years) and the number of pregnancy losses (none, one, two, and three or more) to assess age-specific associations and dose-response patterns over a median follow-up duration of 11.86 years.

TAKEAWAY:

• Overall, 33.5% of women reported at least one negative pregnancy outcome and had a higher risk for hypertension (hazard ratio [HR], 1.14; 95% CI, 1.08-1.21), particularly in those younger than 50 years (HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.02-1.36) and those older than 60 years (HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.07-1.25); women aged 50-60 years had a 47% higher risk for ischaemic stroke.
• Women with a history of stillbirth had a 27% higher risk for hypertension, with the strongest association observed in those older than 60 years, in whom the risk was 37% higher.
• A history of miscarriage was associated with a 12% higher risk for coronary artery disease, with a 17% increased risk observed in those aged 50-60 years. No significant associations were observed between pregnancy termination and any CVD events.
• Women reporting three or more stillbirths had an approximately twofold higher risk for hypertension, and those reporting at least three miscarriages had a 19% higher risk for hypertension.

IN PRACTICE:

"[The study] findings support the inclusion of reproductive history, especially adverse pregnancy outcomes, in cardiovascular risk assessment and prevention strategies for women," the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Alexandre Vallée, Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Foch hospital, Paris, France. It was published online on April 04, 2026, in Public Health.

LIMITATIONS:

The relatively low response rate of the UK Biobank may have introduced selection bias. Data on the history of pregnancy loss were self-reported, which may have resulted in misclassification and recall bias. Additionally, the study population was predominantly of White British ancestry and comprised women aged 40-69 years at baseline, which limited the generalisability of the findings.

DISCLOSURES:

This study did not receive any external funding. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.