Cardiovascular response to stress and perceived stress is not altered 40 years after hypertensive pregnancies

Objective: Women experiencing hypertensive pregnancies have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Whether stress increase the risk is unknown. The objective was to test if cardiovascular response to stress and/or perceived stress differed in relation to blood pressure status during pregnancy 40 years earlier. Methods: Cardiovascular response was examined with mental stress test, and perceived stress was evaluated with a questionnaire in 105 women. Results: Resting heart rate was higher, and pulse reactivity was lower in women with previous hypertensive pregnancies. Neither blood pressure nor perceived stress differed. Conclusion: Response to physical or psychological stress is not affected many years after pregnancy.