Giving birth leads to long-term lower blood pressure
Women who have a healthy pregnancy have lower blood pressure that lasts for up to 20 years after giving birth. This does not apply to women who developed high blood pressure during pregnancy. Also, additional births do not increase the effect.
Researchers don’t know why this happens. One theory is that blood vessels become more flexible during early pregnancy and this persists long after giving birth.
The drop in blood pressure is only slight. The women experienced an average drop of 2 points systolic and 1.5 points diastolic. This is not very signigicant on the individual level but when applied to large numbers it can make a difference in serious health consequences for these women. Even a small reduction in blood pressure can have important benefits over time.
