Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications Commons^™

Cardiovascular Tissue Remodeling Of Preeclampsia, Rachel Metz

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy that leads to a multitude of problems for the mother and fetus during and after pregnancy. While the effects on the mother's body after pregnancy are often overlooked, preeclamptic mothers are prone to cardiovascular diseases from the great deal of stress experienced through the duration of a preeclamptic pregnancy. The associated high blood pressure causes cardiac muscle to work a great deal harder in an attempt to successfully perfuse tissues adequately. This increase in prolonged stress leads to remodeling of the cardiovascular tissues-significantly increasing the risk of heart issues in life beyond the …