risk of recurrence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (if previous hypertension in pregnancy)
Last edited 08/2019 and last reviewed 04/2023
Risk of recurrence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy
Advise women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy that the overall risk of recurrence in future pregnancies is approximately 1 in 5 (see table below)
| Prevalence of hypertensive disorder in a future pregnancy | Any hypertension in pregnancy | Pre-eclampsia | Gestational hypertension |
| Any hypertension | Approximately 21% (1 in 5 women) | Approximately 20% (1 in 5 women) | Approximately 22% (1 in 5 women) |
| Pre-eclampsia | Approximately 14% (1 in 7 women) |
Up to approximately 16% (1 in 6 women) If birth was at 28-34 week (a) approximately 33% (1 in 3 women) If birth was at 34-37 weeks: pproximately 23% (1 in 4 women) |
Approximately 7% (1 in 14 women) |
| Gestational hypertension |
Approximately 9% (1 in 11 women) |
Between approximately 6 and 12% (up to 1 in 8 women) |
Between approximately 11 and 15% (up to 1 in 7 women) |
| Chronic hypertension | Not applicable |
Approximately 2% (up to 1 in 50 women) |
Approximately 3% (up to 1 in 34 women) |
a) No evidence was identified for women who gave birth at less than 28 weeks, but the committee agreed that the risk was likely to be at least as high, if not higher, than that for women who gave birth between 28 and 34 weeks.
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