Comments on: Pregnancy Complications Show Increased Risk of Heart Conditions Later

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 09:03:06 +0000

Shew! I’ve heard that apple-shaped women have higher risk for heart disease before. Great news for me since I am bootylicious! Despite being.. soft and huggable, it’s mainly in my hips, thighs and booty! Thank goodness for small mercies! haha.

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 20:25:37 +0000

I think genetics is a huge part of it. I had some complications after giving birth that I inherited from my mom.

There’s probably lots to write about. Hsien could probably start a new blog.

By: Kate

Kate — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 13:33:54 +0000

Karen, I am not sure the size you become during pregnancy is as much an indicator as it is after childbearing is complete, but genetics certainly plays a role.

We should ask Hsien to figure out the pregnancy complications genetic risk for us. She could probably write a hundred Genetics and Health posts on it.

By: Karen

Karen — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 12:02:13 +0000

I didn’t get big with either of my kids. In fact, I remember being 6-7 months along and some people not knowing I was pregnant. I didn’t even have to wear maternity clothes. My weight shifted around with both of my kids. For me, I think genetics was the main factor.

By: kbaggott

kbaggott — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 06:52:19 +0000

Jill- There have been other studies that show your waist circumfrence increases with stress hormones that affect the heart. In other words, a larger waist in terms of proportion rather than total weight gain can lead to a lot of health problems. So if anyone has a choice, it’s much healthier to get a fat bum and hips.

By: Karen

Karen — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 19:30:21 +0000

Jill: I don’t know. My aunt was not overweight and she had pre-eclampsia. She was on bed rest, I think with both pregnancies. HBP just runs in our family. I had pregnancy induced hypertension. It wasn’t so bad that I had to be put on bed rest, but for me resting seemed to be key. The more I did, the worse mine was. I worked full-time as a teacher with my first child, so I wasn’t able to rest until the evenings. With my second child I only worked part-time as a teacher, so I was able to rest more frequently. My blood pressure wasn’t as bad with the second child. I attributed it to being able to rest more.

By: Babylune » The Fifth Healthy & Fit Family Carnival

Babylune » The Fifth Healthy & Fit Family Carnival — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 16:59:30 +0000

[...] Speaking of umbilical cords, women who experience common pregnancy complications are often at a greater risk of developing heart conditions later in life. My post explains how pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes signal a risk that must be managed with a healthy diet and regular exercise. [...]

By: Jill (far_gone)

Jill (far_gone) — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 13:13:46 +0000

I’d always heard that pre-eclampsia was not weight related. Hmmm. My sister had pre-eclampsia the first time around and GD the second. She’s not a whisp of a girl, but not terribly overweight. He says the cure is to eat less and move more. It sounds like that means that there is a link between heaviness and pre-ec?? (I know there is with GD…)

By: kbaggott

kbaggott — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 16:06:56 +0000

Karen- I think every illness is a wake up call for us to take better care of ourselves.

By: Karen

Karen — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 13:20:45 +0000

I’ve heard the same thing. I didn’t have gestational diabetes, but did have pregnancy induced hypertension with both children. It wasn’t bad enough for the doctors to label it as pre-eclampsia, but I still have to monitor my blood pressure. My aunt had gestational diabetes and a decade later she is borderline diabetic. Unfortunately, HBP runs in my family.