A recent study has found that women who give birth to twins are at a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease later in life compared to those who have single births. The research highlights a concerning link between twin pregnancies and cardiovascular health, shedding light on the long-term health implications for mothers. “Increased cardiovascular demand in twin pregnancies, even those without hypertensive disease of pregnancy (HDP), may pose a greater risk for cardiovascular complications compared with singletons,” the researchers have said.
The study has been published in the European Heart Journal.
“People with twin pregnancies should be aware of the short-term increase in cardiovascular disease complications in the first year after birth, even if they had a pregnancy that was not complicated by high blood pressure conditions, such as pre-eclampsia,” lead author Dr. Ruby Lin, a maternal-foetal medicine fellow at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School has said. “The maternal heart works harder for twin pregnancies than for singleton pregnancies, and it takes weeks for the maternal heart to return to its pre-pregnancy state,” she added.
For the study the researchers analysed data of 36 million hospital deliveries in the US from 2010 to 2020. The results indicated that women with twin pregnancies experienced a higher rate of readmissions for cardiovascular disease within a year of giving birth, at 1,105.4 per 100,000 deliveries, compared to 734.1 per 100,000 deliveries for those with singleton pregnancies.
For women with twin pregnancies who experienced high blood pressure during pregnancy, the risk was more than eight times higher. However, one year after birth, the study found that deaths from any cause, including heart disease, were higher among patients with singleton pregnancies and high blood pressure compared to those with twin pregnancies and high blood pressure.
The researchers have emphasized that patients undergoing fertility treatments, particularly those of advanced age or with conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, or heart disease, should be informed that twin pregnancies may elevate the risk of heart-related complications in the short term.
“These findings highlight the increased strain twin pregnancies place on the maternal cardiovascular system. These findings advocate the need for appropriate pre-conception counselling for those with cardiovascular risk factors undergoing infertility treatment, which increase the risks of multi-foetal gestation, and increased post-partum surveillance in twin pregnancies,” the researchers have said.