Pregnancy complications may leave women more vulnerable to the long-term heart effects of stress, a recent study suggests.

A study of more than 3,000 women in their first pregnancy found persistently higher stress levels were associated with higher blood pressure after pregnancy, specifically in women who had adverse pregnancy outcomes including preeclampsia, preterm birth, having a baby that was small for gestational age, meaning smaller than expected for that stage of pregnancy, or stillbirth.

Among women who experienced these complications, higher stress levels over time were associated with blood pressure that was 2 mm Hg higher than that of the low-stress group during the years two to seven after delivery.

This was not the case among women who did not experience adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Virginia Nuckols, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in the University of Delaware’s department of kinesiology and applied physiology, said: “For women who were having babies for the first time and had complications, referred to as adverse pregnancy outcomes, we found that higher stress levels over time were associated with higher blood pressure levels 2-to-7 years after delivery.

“This suggests that women who had pregnancy complications may be more susceptible to the negative effects of stress on their heart health, and taking steps to manage and reduce stress could be important for protecting long-term heart health.”

The researchers analysed records of 3,322 first-time mothers aged 15 to 44 who did not have high blood pressure before pregnancy.

The women were enrolled at 17 medical centres in eight US states, were pregnant with one baby and were having their first child. According to the authors, 66 per cent of participants self-identified as white, 14 per cent as Hispanic and 11 per cent as Black.

Blood pressure and stress levels were measured during the first and third trimesters, and again two to seven years after delivery.

Stress was assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale, a standard questionnaire that asks how often people feel situations are uncontrollable, unpredictable or overwhelming.

Those who experienced moderate to high stress levels were often younger, between 25 and 27 years of age, had higher body mass index, a measure based on height and weight, and lower educational attainment.

The authors said it is not yet clear exactly how higher stress leads to higher blood pressure in women who had pregnancy complications, and that several factors are likely to be involved.

Nuckols added: “Future studies should examine why women with a history of adverse pregnancy outcomes may be more susceptible to stress-driven increases in blood pressure and test whether stress reduction interventions can actually lower cardiovascular risk for these women.”

High blood pressure during pregnancy can have lasting effects on maternal health, including preeclampsia, eclampsia, stroke or kidney problems, according to the American Heart Association’s 2025 guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation and management of high blood pressure in adults.

Monitoring blood pressure before, during and after pregnancy is crucial to help prevent and reduce the risk of long-term complications.

Laxmi Mehta is chair of the American Heart Association’s Council on Clinical Cardiology and director of preventive cardiology and women’s cardiovascular health at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and was not involved in the study.

Mehta said;’ “This study highlights the powerful connection between the mind and heart, emphasising the importance of stress management, particularly for those who have experienced adverse pregnancy outcomes.

“For the clinical care team, it reinforces the need to proactively assess and address stress as part of the comprehensive care we provide to our patients.

“Future research on whether targeted interventions to reduce or manage stress has a meaningful impact on long-term cardiovascular outcomes will be important as well.”

A baby boy is the first in the UK to be born after a womb transplant from a deceased donor, a development doctors say could offer hope to women born without a womb.

Grace Bell, in her 30s and from Kent, was born with MRKH syndrome, a condition in which a woman is born without a viable womb. She does not have periods but has normal ovaries.

At 16, she was told she would not be able to carry her own child.

As reported by the BBC, Bell’s womb transplant took 10 hours and was carried out at The Churchill Hospital in Oxford in June 2024.

Several months later, the couple underwent IVF treatment, followed by embryo transfer, at The Lister Fertility Clinic in London.

Her son, Hugo, was born just before Christmas 2025 at Queen Charlotte’s and Chelsea Hospital in west London, weighing nearly 7lbs. He is now 10 weeks old.

Bell said: “It was simply a miracle. I remember waking up in the morning and seeing his little face, with his little dummy in, and it felt like I needed to wake up from a dream.

“It was just incredible.”

Bell and her partner Steve Powell paid tribute to the donor and her family.

Bell said: “I think of my donor and her family every day and pray they find some peace in knowing their daughter gave me the biggest gift: the gift of life. A part of her will live on forever.”

The successful transplant is one of 10 deceased donor womb transplants taking place as part of a UK clinical research trial.

Three have already been carried out, but Hugo is the first baby born.

In early 2025, a baby called Amy was born through the first living womb donation in the UK, at the same London hospital.

Her mother received her older sister’s womb in a transplant operation in January 2023. Five further womb transplants from close living relatives are planned.

Consultant gynaecologist Prof Richard Smith, from Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, who began researching womb transplantation more than 25 years ago and was present at Hugo’s birth, said “a huge team of people” had been involved, from the transplant operation to embryo transfer and delivery.

Bell and Powell gave their son the middle name Richard in tribute to Smith, who also founded the charity Womb Transplant UK.

The couple may decide to have a second baby, after which surgeons plan to remove the transplanted womb.

This is to spare Bell from taking a lifetime of strong drugs to prevent the immune system attacking the transplanted organ.

Transplant surgeon and joint team leader Isabel Quiroga said she was “delighted” by Hugo’s birth and described it as a breakthrough for organ transplantation in the UK.

“Very few babies have been born in Europe as a result of their mothers receiving a womb from a deceased donor,” she said.

“Our trial is seeking to discover whether this procedure could become an approved and regular treatment for some of the increasing number of women of child-bearing age who do not have a viable womb.

Smith said the birth showed that girls and young women told they did not have a womb could now have hope of carrying their own child.

A baby born following a womb transplant from a deceased donor has no genetic link to the donor.

More than 100 womb transplant operations have been performed worldwide and more than 70 healthy babies have been born as a result.

Donating a womb for transplant differs from donating other organs, such as kidneys or a heart, as it requires a specific request to families who have already agreed to organ donation.

The donor’s parents, who wish to remain anonymous, said they felt “tremendous pride” in the legacy left by their daughter. She also donated five other organs, which were transplanted into four people.

“Through organ donation, she has given other families the precious gift of time, hope, healing and now life,” her family said.

Stroke prevention requires aggressive blood pressure control and rapid recognition of symptoms in pregnancy and postpartum, a new scientific statement urges.

The guidance details risk factors for pregnancy-related stroke and offers suggestions for prevention, rapid diagnosis, timely treatment and recovery during pregnancy and postpartum.

A stroke occurs in approximately 20 to 40 of every 100,000 pregnancies and is estimated to account for around four to six per cent of pregnancy-related deaths annually in the US.

The statement was published by the American Heart Association and endorsed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Eliza Miller is chair of the writing group and associate professor of neurology at the University of Pittsburgh.

She said: “When a stroke occurs during pregnancy or the postpartum period, it can lead to serious complications for both the mother and baby, including neurological deficits, long-term disability, increased risk of future strokes and death.

“Controlling blood pressure and other stroke risks before and after delivery, responding immediately to stroke warning signs and providing timely treatment can help save lives and improve outcomes for mothers and their babies.”

There are two types of stroke: an ischaemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain is blocked by a clot, while a haemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel ruptures and bleeds into the brain.

Risk factors for pregnancy-associated stroke include chronic hypertension (high blood pressure before pregnancy or diagnosed before 20 weeks), preeclampsia (a dangerous condition causing high blood pressure in pregnancy), advanced maternal age (35 years or older), diabetes, obesity, migraine with aura, infections, heart disease and clotting disorders.

Stroke disproportionately affects people of racial and ethnic minorities. A 2020 meta-analysis found that pregnant Black women are twice as likely to have a stroke compared with pregnant white women, even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors.

The statement authors emphasise that the majority of maternal strokes are preventable with earlier and more aggressive blood pressure control.

“Preeclampsia and eclampsia can occur before, during or after delivery, and the early postpartum period is actually the highest risk time for stroke.

“Very close monitoring of blood pressure is essential,” said Miller.

The statement urges all healthcare professionals who care for pregnant patients, including obstetricians, family medicine practitioners and nurses, to be trained to recognise stroke symptoms so they can promptly start treatment.

“It is crucial for women who are pregnant or have recently given birth and have symptoms of new neurological deficits or severe headache, especially if they also have elevated blood pressure, to be immediately evaluated for possible stroke,” said Miller.

The authors emphasise that pregnancy is not a reason to delay or interfere with recommended treatment for acute stroke.

Various anti-clotting medications are available that are safe for pregnant and lactating women, and mechanical thrombectomy (surgical removal of a blood clot) may be needed for patients with large-vessel blockages.

Survivors of pregnancy-associated stroke face unique challenges such as caring for an infant and require support from a multidisciplinary rehabilitation team.

Mood and sleep disorders are common after stroke and may be intensified by postpartum factors such as hormonal shifts, breastfeeding and disrupted sleep.

Miller said: “Babies depend on their mothers’ well-being, and supporting recovery after stroke, both emotionally and practically, is essential so mothers can heal and families can thrive.”