Women who suffer from perinatal depression are significantly more likely to develop heart disease within 20 years of giving birth than women who have not experienced perinatal depression, according to new research.

Perinatal depression, which occurs during pregnancy or after childbirth, affects approximately one in five women worldwide.

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, examined cardio-vascular health after perinatal depression using data from nearly 600,000 women.

It found the strongest associations with the risk of hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and heart failure.

The research, led by Dr. Emma Brann, Dr. Donghao Lu and their team at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, builds on previous findings linking antenatal depression to other health problems, including premenstrual disorders, autoimmune conditions, suicidal behaviour and premature death.

“Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, and there is increasing discussion about incorporating reproductive health into risk assessments for women,” Dr. Lu said.

“We wanted to find out whether a history of perinatal depression could help predict the risk of cardiovascular disease,” the study authors said.

Using the Swedish Medical Birth Register, which records all births in Sweden, the researchers compared 55,539 women who had perinatal depression between 2001 and 2014 with 545,567 women who had given birth during the same period but did not have perinatal depression.

All participants were monitored until 2020 for the development of heart disease.

The study found that 6.4% of women with perinatal depression developed cardiovascular disease, compared to 3.7% of women without depression. This represents a 36% higher risk in women with perinatal depression.

Specifically, the risk of hypertension was approximately 50% higher, ischemic heart disease was 37% higher, and heart failure was 36% higher.

“Our findings may help identify individuals at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, which will help guide preventive measures,” said Dr. Brann, senior author of the study.

Researchers compared women with perinatal depression to their sisters, finding they had a 20% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, indicating possible genetic or familial factors.