Certain complications during pregnancy may be an indicator that a woman is at greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to researchers at Department of Public Health and General Practice at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Scientists have been aware that women who develop high blood pressure or preeclampsia during pregnancy are twice as likely to suffer strokes or heart attacks later in life. But instead of the pregnancy complications causing cardiovascular disease, they may be an indication that a woman is susceptible to heart disease, a study shows.

Researchers are looking at which common cardiovascular diseases develop after pregnancy and specifically at what age they begin to develop. Data also includes information about other cardiovascular disease risk factors such as obesity, smoking and high blood pressure.