Better blood pressure management after pregnancy could protect long-term brain health

Better blood pressure management after pregnancy could protect long-term brain health.

The findings come from a study by Oxford researchers, which focused on women who experienced high blood pressure during pregnancy.

The study found that those who managed their blood pressure at home with remote medical support had higher brain white matter volumes nine months after birth compared to those who received standard care.

Dr Winok Lapidaire, principal investigator in cardiovascular medicine at the University of Oxford’s Radcliffe Department of Medicine and first author on the study, said: “The study found that short-term postpartum optimisation of blood pressure after a hypertensive pregnancy was associated with larger brain volumes in the first year after the birth.

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“Although the study did not assess long-term outcomes, brain volume is a recognised marker of brain health and resilience to future decline.

“Our findings suggest that those early months after childbirth are an important window for supporting postpartum brain health and reducing the risk of future health problems in women who experienced hypertensive pregnancy.”

White matter in the brain is essential for communication between different brain regions, and lower volumes have been linked to cognitive decline and conditions such as dementia.

Hypertensive pregnancy conditions like gestational hypertension and preeclampsia are known to increase the long-term risk of stroke, dementia, and other neurological issues.

Previous studies have shown that women with a history of these conditions often have smaller brain volumes later in life.

This latest research suggests that improving blood pressure control in the immediate postpartum period may help reduce this risk.

Participants in the study had either gestational hypertension or preeclampsia and were prescribed blood pressure medication upon hospital discharge.

Half of the participants monitored their blood pressure at home with remote clinical support, while the other half received standard postnatal care.

The study found that women in the self-management group had significantly larger white matter volumes nine months after childbirth.

Among those who received standard care, women who had preeclampsia showed smaller volumes in several key brain structures compared to those with gestational hypertension. The findings highlight the importance of early postpartum care.

The research was part of the Physician Optimised Postpartum Hypertension Treatment (POP HT) trial, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, and was published in JAMA Neurology.

Earlier research by the POP HT team also found that self-monitoring blood pressure after childbirth could help reduce the risk of future heart disease and stroke in new mothers.