Cardiovascular disease risk at three months postpartum following pregnancy complicated by gestational diabetes mellitus or pre-eclampsia

Fagear Mohamed A, Rosal KC,Treanor JT, Kennelly MM, O’Higgins AC

UCD Centre of Human Reproduction

The Coombe Hospital, Dublin

Objective:

To evaluate the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors three months postpartum in women who experienced gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) or pre-eclampsia (PET) during pregnancy.

 

Design & Methods:

This prospective cohort study investigated modifiable CVD risk factors in women with a history of GDM and/or PET, assessed between 6 and 15 weeks postpartum. Data collected included blood pressure, BMI, body composition via bioelectrical impedance analysis, waist circumference, fasting glucose, HbA1c, lipid profile, liver function, creatinine, and QRisk3 score. The QRisk3 score—calculated using body weight, blood pressure, and blood test results—was used to estimate the 10-year CVD risk.

 

Results:

Among the 185 participants, 78.4% (n = 145) had GDM, 17.8% (n = 33) had PET, and 3.8% (n = 7) experienced both conditions. The average age was 34.3 years, and the mean BMI was 31.08 kg/m². A significant proportion (82.2%, n = 152) had a waist-to-height ratio greater than 0.5. Figure 1 illustrates the prevalence of abnormal laboratory findings.