Cardiovascular response to stress and perceived stress is not altered 40 years after hypertensive pregnancies

Abstract

Objective: Women experiencing hypertensive pregnancies have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Whether stress increase the risk is unknown. The objective was to test if cardiovascular response to stress and/or perceived stress differed in relation to blood pressure status during pregnancy 40 years earlier. Methods: Cardiovascular response was examined with mental stress test, and perceived stress was evaluated with a questionnaire in 105 women. Results: Resting heart rate was higher, and pulse reactivity was lower in women with previous hypertensive pregnancies. Neither blood pressure nor perceived stress differed. Conclusion: Response to physical or psychological stress is not affected many years after pregnancy.

• Cardiovascular reactivity
• Follow-up
• Hypertension
• Perceived stress
• Pregnancy

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We would like to express our thanks to RN Lilian Alnäs for excellent assistance in the clinical examinations.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.