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Strollerderby
Study: Heart Disease in Women May Be Linked to Number of Births
Two is the magic number — at least when it comes to reducing your risk of heart disease. A Swedish study that followed 1.3 million women for as long as 23 years, and an average of 9 and a half found that those who’d given birth twice were at the lowest risk for cardovascular disease after the age of 50.
Those at highest risk 60 percent higher — had given birth five or more times. It’s not a matter of “the fewer births, the better,” though. Giving birth once, three times, or never added a 10 percent higher risk of heart disease. Four births correlated with a 30 percent increase in risk.
Pregnancy complications, such as high blood pressure and pregnancy-related diabetes, or birth-related complications did not explain the link between number of births and later heart disease and stroke risk.
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm noted that pregnancy leads to significant changes in how blood flows in and through blood vessels. That can alter risk for heart disease and stroke. It’s hoped that studying these changes can lead to a greater understanding of heart disease in women.
This study is significant because of its size and the conclusive nature of its findings. Most other studies have been small and had conflicting results. Given that Sweden has genrous health care and maternity leave granted to all citizens, I do wonder if the results would be the same here.
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[...] Still a relatively rare event, up from 5.6 out of 100,000 women to 16.9 per 100,000 women, experts also say that the reasons that women die during or in the six weeks following childbirth are mostly preventable: hemorrhage, blood clots, and underlying heart disease. [...]
C-Sections - Are They Sending Maternal Mortality Rates Soaring? | Strollerderby commented on Mar 08 10 at 10:00 amjadesmith commented on Dec 03 10 at 1:30 amMany women are facing the threat of heart disease. But becoming aware of the symptoms and taking much care of health can avoid it. Eating a healthy diet, exercising and some stress relief activities can help you protect.
http://www.womenhealthcenter.net/heart-disease-in-women.html
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