Hypertension during pregnancy has
been associated with increased insulin
resistance during pregnancy, even in
the absence of diabetes or prediabetes.32
Gestational hypertension may
also increase long-term health risks of
women. Both gestational hypertension
and pre-eclampsia have been shown to
double the risk for development of
type 2 diabetes mellitus within 17
years postpartum, even when gestational
diabetes mellitus (GDM) was not
diagnosed during pregnancy.32 The
occurrence of both GDM and hypertension
or pre-eclampsia can dramatically
increase a woman’s chances of
developing type 2 diabetes (as much as
13 times the risk) within 2 decades
postpartum.32 Women who experience
pre-eclampsia without GDM during
pregnancy have been found to be at
three times the risk for developing type
2 diabetes within a year of delivery,
suggesting that the insulin resistance
associated with gestational hypertension
and pre-eclampsia may persist
after birth.33 Women who experienced
gestational hypertension without GDM
have been found to be at three times
the risk for being prescribed medications
to treat diabetes within 4 years of
delivery, with 4.2 times the risk of
using both insulin and oral diabetes
medications compared to women
without GDM or pre-eclampsia.3