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Cohort studyUltrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2026

Hypertension at 5 months postpartum in women with gestational diabetes.

C Gómez Fernández, M Charakida, M Moser … K H Nicolaides

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Obstetrics & GynecologyCohort study

Over one-quarter of women with gestational diabetes developed hypertension five months postpartum.

Hypertension at 5 months postpartum in women with gestational diabetes.

C Gómez Fernández et al. · Ultrasound in obstetrics & gynecology : the official journal of the International Society of Ultrasound in Obstetrics and Gynecology · 2026

Purpose

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is associated with future maternal cardiovascular disease, independent of the development of Type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

Between September 2023 and January 2025, we conducted a single-center observational prospective cohort study of all women who received routine prenatal care at 12 weeks' gestation at King's College Hospital, London, UK, and developed GDM during the index pregnancy.

n = 678 women

Results

women with diabetes during pregnancy developed high blood pressure 5 months after birth

AUC 0.74 (95% CI 0.70 to 0.78)

CI excludes the null - significant

More results

Multivariable analysis showed that postpartum hypertension was associated with: higher maternal age, Black or mixed ethnicity, higher median weight in early pregnancy, higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure in early pregnancy, and development of pre-eclampsia (PE) or gestational hypertension (GH) in the index pregnancy.

More results

The area under the receiver-operating-characteristics curve for the prediction of postpartum hypertension was 0.72 (95% CI, 0.68-0.77) without inclusion of development of PE or GH, and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.70-0.78) with their inclusion.

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Conclusion · 1 of 3

One in four women with recent GDM developed hypertension at 5 months postpartum. However, risk prediction from factors observed in early pregnancy was only modest, reinforcing the need for universal postpartum BP assessment.

Conclusion · 2 of 3

The high prevalence of hypertension and other cardio-renal-metabolic abnormalities following GDM emphasizes the associated enhanced cardiovascular risk, and the postnatal opportunities for intervention early in the life course of these women.

Conclusion · 3 of 3

Post

Hypertension at 5 months postpartum in women with gestational diabetes.

Over one-quarter of women with gestational diabetes developed hypertension five months postpartum.

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