Stroke during pregnancy raises risk of long-term heart disease

These risks include heart attacks, another stroke, heart disease, and depression.

A new study has found that women who suffer an ischemic stroke during pregnancy or within three months after giving birth face a higher risk of serious heart problems later in life. These risks include heart attacks, another stroke, heart disease, and depression.

The research was published on January 21, 2026, in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology. An ischemic stroke happens when a blood clot blocks blood flow to the brain, cutting off oxygen and essential nutrients.

The study also showed that women who had a stroke during pregnancy or shortly after were less likely to be working and more likely to be retired by the end of the study compared to women who did not have a stroke.

According to study author Dr. Anna Richardt from the University of Helsinki, strokes during pregnancy or after childbirth are rare but increasing. She said the research aimed to understand the long-term effects on women and found higher chances of heart disease, depression, and unemployment later in life.

Researchers studied health records of 97 women in Finland who had an ischemic stroke during pregnancy or within three months after delivery. They compared them with 280 women who did not have a stroke. The participants were followed for an average of 12 years using medical records.

Results showed that 6% of women who had an early stroke suffered another stroke later, and 7% experienced major heart problems such as a heart attack. In comparison, none of the women without an early stroke had such events.

Depression was also more common, affecting 19% of stroke survivors compared to 6% of women who did not have a stroke. Even after considering age, women who had a stroke were nearly four times more likely to develop depression.

Although 92% of women who had a stroke recovered well or could manage daily activities, more than one-third were not working by the end of the study. Researchers stressed the importance of better stroke prevention, regular health monitoring, and proper rehabilitation to improve long-term health outcomes for women who experience a stroke during or after pregnancy.