A research team from the CHUM Research Center (CRCHUM) has shown that women who had serious problems during pregnancy are twice as likely to die up to three decades later.
Extreme conditions such as stroke, heart problems, severe renal failure and pre-eclampsia affect just under 5% of women during pregnancy and childbirth.
In a study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, CRCHUM researcher Dr. Nathalie Auger and his postdoctoral consortium Ugochinyere Vivian Ukah studied the risks of long-term mortality of women with these types of pregnancy complications by analyzing more than 1.2 million records of women born in Quebec between 1989 and 2016.
Their conclusions? Compared to women who had no real pregnancy problems, women in the study were twice as likely to die after childbirth, either in the postpartum period (42 days and less) or later. Although there was a decline over time, the risk of death was still felt several years after delivery, with deaths occurring an average of 8.3 years earlier for women with severe pregnancy complications compared to no complications.
The research team was also able to identify the main causes of mortality after 42 days: severe heart problems during pregnancy (7 times more likely to die), severe renal failure (4 times more likely), and strokes (4 times more likely).
From a clinical perspective, closer follow-up interventions and prevention to reduce the risk of premature mortality may be reasonable for women with severe pregnancy complications.
Source:
University of Montreal Hospital Research Center
Magazine Reference:
Vivian, UU, et al. (2021) Severe maternal morbidity and risk of mortality beyond the postpartum period. Obstetrics & Gynecology. doi.org/10.1097/AOG.000000000000004223.