Pregnancy complications and women's long-term heart health
Official title: Adverse pregnancy outcomes and long-term risk of cardiovascular disease in women
Funded at University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston · NIH-11412771 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether complications during pregnancy predict higher risk of heart and blood vessel disease later in life for women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | August 16, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $237,352 |
| NIH project number | 3R01HL139536-08S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11412771 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Women who have been pregnant, especially those who experienced preeclampsia, other hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, fetal growth restriction, or preterm delivery, are the primary focus.
✕Less likely to help
Women who were never pregnant or who lack linked health records in the registries analyzed are unlikely to be included or directly benefit from this project.
What this research studies
If you've had a pregnancy, researchers will use medical and national registry records for millions of pregnancies to track women's heart and vascular health for up to 48 years after pregnancy. They will compare women who had complications like preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, preterm birth, or fetal growth restriction with those who did not, and will examine outcomes such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and arrhythmias. The team will use long-term follow-up and family data to separate pregnancy-related risks from inherited risks. The goal is to identify which pregnancy complications signal higher lifetime heart risk and when earlier monitoring or prevention might help.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors identify young women at higher lifetime risk for cardiovascular disease so they can offer earlier monitoring and prevention.
How similar studies have gone: Smaller studies have linked pregnancy complications to later heart disease, but this large, long-term registry analysis is more comprehensive and aims to confirm and refine those findings.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Crump, Casey — University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston
- Study coordinator: Crump, Casey
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Cardiovascular Risk in at-risk Hispanic women after pregnancy complications
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This project uses machine learning to find which women who had pregnancy complications are most likely to develop heart disease so they can get earlier follow-up and prevention.
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Heart and metabolic health after pregnancy complications in Puerto Rican women
This project looks at how pregnancy complications and mood during pregnancy relate to heart, diabetes, and mental health years later for Puerto Rican women.
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Pregnancy complications and future heart and blood vessel health
This project looks at whether pregnancy complications are linked to higher risk of heart and vascular problems later in life for women.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.