An NHLBI-funded study has found that sleep-disordered breathing, predominantly sleep apnea, is a significant risk factor for developing hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and gestational diabetes. The findings, published in the Obstetrics and Gynecology journal, come from the NuMoM2b Sleep-Disordered Breathing study, funded in partnership with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, such as preeclampsia and gestational hypertension, affect 6-8% of pregnancies and are the leading causes of maternal illness and death worldwide.
The study found that sleep apnea, interrupted breathing during sleep, almost doubles a pregnant woman’s risk to develop preeclampsia; while the likelihood of developing gestational diabetes is up to 3.5 times higher than her peers without sleep apnea.