High blood pressure during pregnancy is rising in every state
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Rates of high blood pressure during pregnancy have soared across the country, according to new CDC data.
Why it matters: High blood pressure is associated with serious complications for mom and baby.
By the numbers: More than one in 10 mothers who gave birth in 2024 had gestational hypertension (a category that includes preeclampsia).
- The rate went from 6% to 10.4% — a rate increase of 73% from 2016.
Reality check: The true rate is probably even higher because birth certificates, used to inform this report, don't capture every case of gestational hypertension, the CDC says.
Between the lines: Rates rose within every age and BMI group studied, suggesting that older maternal age and higher BMI alone don't fully explain the increase.
- The CDC report doesn't identify a specific cause.
- Researchers are examining whether pollution and microplastics may affect pregnancy health, and OB hospitalist Jane van Dis previously told Axios that such environmental exposures are her hypothesis for the broader increase in chronic disease among pregnant patients.
Go deeper: Why 1 in 3 births are a C-section.
