Complications during pregnancy are widespread, becoming more common and often overlooked as warning signs about a woman’s heart health.

Which is why for the first time, in an effort to guide clinicians and empower women, the authors of a widely used reference on the facts and figures surrounding cardiovascular diseases are including information on adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Pregnancy has been termed a window into the future of a woman’s cardiovascular health, said Dr. Sadiya S. Khan, an assistant professor of medicine and preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “It’s nature’s stress test. And it