Delaying pregnancy may increase the risk of women to suffer from heart attack or stroke later in life, a new study found.

Experts discovered the said risk specifically among women who wait until they are 40 or older to get pregnant.

"We already knew that older women were more likely than younger women to experience health problems during their pregnancy," says lead author Adnan Qureshi from the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute in Minnesota."Now, we know that the consequences of that later pregnancy stretch years into the future."

The Numbers Say It All

The researchers looked into the rates of two types of strokes. The first one is ischemic stroke, which is characterized by impeded blood flow due to a blocked artery. The second one is hemorrhagic stroke, wherein weakened blood vessels rupture, causing blood spill or as the term implies, hemorrhage.

About 2.4 percent of women who got pregnant at a younger age were at risk of ischemic stroke. That is significantly lower than the 3.8 percent of women in their 40s who also developed the said risk.

Meanwhile, the risk of hemorrhagic stroke increased from 0.5 percent in young mothers to 1 percent in older mothers.

The researchers also looked into the women's risk of heart attack. Heart attack risk increased from 2.5 percent among young mothers to 3 percent among older mothers.

Older mothers also show unfavorable numbers when it comes to risk of cardiovascular deaths. They exhibited a 3.9 percent risk compared to younger women who only had a 2.3 percent risk.

To come up with these numbers, the authors studied data of over 72,000 women, of whom 3,306 reported older-age pregnancy. They compared these data from that of women who got pregnant at a young age. The researchers followed the participants for 12 years to obtain the final results.

Reason Behind The Link

The exact reason for the link has not yet been identified. One theory is that older women have an increased risk of diabetes and hypertension during pregnancy hence, these factors may play a role in stroke and heart attack risks.

Another suggestion is that old-age pregnancy itself may result in stresses to the cardiovascular system, says Qureshi.

Dr. David Liebeskind from the UCLA Medical Center says experts may want to see more confirmatory proof from further studies. He also says that the study was not able to establish a cause-and-effect-relationship between old-aged pregnancy and stroke.

"It doesn't mean that if you become pregnant above a certain age, you are going to have a hemorrhagic stroke," says Liebeskind. "This is simply an association that has been found."

Staying Alert

The bottom line is women should be aware of the risks, says Qureshi. Women who become pregnant at an older age must be carefully monitored according to recommended guidelines.

Doctors need to stay alert even after years have passed since the pregnancy. Perhaps, doctors may want to prescribe more tests and recommend early interventions to prevent stroke and ensure optimal heart health.

The study was presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles.

Photo: Jerry Lai | Flickr