Grant: Project Grant

Sleep problems in pregnancy could be an overlooked signal of future heart health. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB)-a condition that includes frequent pauses in breathing and snoring-affects many women during pregnancy, yet often goes undiagnosed. Women with SDB in pregnancy are more likely to develop high blood pressure during and even after childbirth, and the risk may be greater if SDB persists after delivery. What we don't yet know is how SDB in pregnancy and beyond relates to blood pressure changes over the long term, or what factors predict who continues to have SDB years later. Right now, this aspect of women's health after delivery is often neglected, with little guidance for screening or follow-up once the postpartum period ends. In this study, we will follow women from a large pregnancy and birth cohort roughly 15-16 years after delivery-one of the longest follow-ups with rigorous measurements of its kind worldwide. We will assess how SDB during pregnancy and its persistence into midlife relate to changes in blood pressure over time, how common SDB is many years after pregnancy, and whether it is linked to mental health, sleep symptoms, and quality of life. By identifying long-term patterns of SDB in women and their links to blood pressure, this work will help pinpoint who might benefit most from screening and follow-up. These insights could shape future clinical guidelines and strategies to protect women's cardiovascular health across the life course.