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The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation(BHF) and supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), could be the first step towards blood pressure self-monitoring becoming routinely recommended for women who have high blood pressure during pregnancy, to prevent future health problems.
The research was published in the Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) and presented at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia.
Worldwide, around 10 per cent of pregnancies are hypertensive, where the mother is affected by a dangerous increase in blood pressure. Around a third of women who experience a hypertensive pregnancy will go on to start treatment for high blood pressure within 10 years, and they have a significantly higher long-term risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure.