Mothers of twins are more likely to be hospitalized with heart disease within a year of giving birth, but researchers say the risk appears short-term.
Mothers of twins face an increased risk of heart disease within the first year of giving birth, a new study finds.
Twin pregnancies worldwide have increased in recent decades, driven in part by fertility treatments and older maternal ages.
To look at the impact, researchers reviewed data from 36 million deliveries in the U.S. between 2010 and 2020. They calculated hospital readmissions for any type of cardiovascular disease, including heart attack, heart failure or stroke.
Compared to single pregnancies, women with twins who had normal blood pressure were twice as likely to be hospitalized with heart disease within a year of giving birth. And the risk was up to 8Xs greater among twin moms who had high blood pressure conditions while expecting.
However, after one year, deaths from any cause, including heart disease, were higher in single pregnancies with high blood pressure.
The lead author says this suggests the risk to mothers of twins decreases over time.
She says, “People with twin pregnancies should be aware of the short-term increase in cardiovascular disease complications in the first year after birth, even if they had a pregnancy that was not complicated by high blood pressure conditions, such as pre-eclampsia.
She says, people having fertility treatments should also be advised that twin pregnancies may increase heart disease complications in the short term.
Source: European Heart Journal
Author Affiliations: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
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