Overview

• The Neurology study compared pregnancy histories of 358 women who suffered ischemic stroke before age 50 with 714 stroke-free peers across two cohorts, ODYSSEY and PRIDE.
• Participants with a history of stillbirth faced nearly a fivefold increase in stroke odds, while preeclampsia, preterm birth, and gestational diabetes also showed strong associations.
• Current clinical guidelines recommend cardiovascular screening for women with preeclampsia histories starting at age 50, but investigators urge weighing pregnancy complications in assessments years earlier.
• Authors emphasize that the observational research does not prove causation and note reliance on self-reported pregnancy data as a study limitation.
• Experts encourage physicians to integrate detailed pregnancy histories into early prevention strategies to detect vascular vulnerabilities unmasked by pregnancy stress.