Skip to main content
SMFM 2026 Pregnancy Meeting Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
Additional registration fee required
Additional registration fee required
Faculty have requested this content not be shared outside of the session
Faculty have requested this content not be shared outside of the session
CME Credit Offered
CME Credit Offered
Abstract Award
Abstract Award
Recording available 2/16-5/2
Recording available 2/16-5/2
AIUM Credit
AIUM Credit
Foundation Awardee
Foundation Awardee
Poster Icons
Abstract Award
Abstract Award
Foundation Awardee
Foundation Awardee

Poster Session 2

Category: Hypertension

Poster Session 2

(411) Characteristics of Progression of Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

Wednesday, February 11, 2026
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM  
Objective:
Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (HDP) occur along a spectrum, and can progress from mild to severe forms. Clinical differences and outcomes between patients with stable versus progressive disease are not well characterized. We sought to explore rates of progression of HDP, and patient characteristics and outcomes associated with progression.

Study Design:
This is a secondary analysis of the NuMoM2b-Heart Health Study, a multi-center cohort study of nulliparous individuals with singleton pregnancies followed during pregnancy through 2-7 years postpartum. We evaluated individuals with no history of hypertension (HTN) and new diagnoses of non-severe HDP (gestational HTN (GHTN) or preeclampsia without severe features). Stable disease was defined as no change from non-severe HDP, and progression was defined as progression from non-severe HDP to preeclampsia with severe features/eclampsia. We compared early pregnancy blood pressures (BP), metabolic biomarkers, obstetric complications, and rates of incident HTN 2-7 years after pregnancy for individuals with stable versus progressive HDP.

Results:

2019 individuals met inclusion criteria: 1851 (92%) had no progression of disease and 168 (8%) had progression. Demographic characteristics were similar for individuals with stable versus progressive HDP. Compared to those with stable HDP, individuals with progressive HDP had higher early pregnancy BP and triglycerides, lower NT-proBNP, and were more likely to have gestational diabetes. Among those with follow up at 2-7 years after delivery, individuals with progressive HDP were significantly more likely than those with stable HDP to have an incident diagnosis of Stage 1 hypertension or greater and to be prescribed anti-HTN medications.

Conclusion:
In this multi-site cohort, 8% of individuals with non-severe HDP progressed to severe. Progression is associated with differences in baseline pregnancy biometrics, as well as an increased risk of antenatal and postpartum complications, suggesting that knowledge of progression may potentially be informative for peri-natal and longer lifespan risk stratification.