Association Between Preeclampsia in Prior Pregnancy and Attendance Rates of Postpartum Blood Pressure–Monitoring Appointments After a Subsequent Pregnancy

Abstract

Preeclampsia complicates approximately 5% of pregnancies and accounts for 10%–15% of maternal deaths. Sixteen percent of patients experience recurrence of preeclampsia in subsequent pregnancies. It is recommended that patients whose pregnancies are complicated by preeclampsia attend a postpartum blood pressure–monitoring appointment at 7–10-days postpartum. Although there are multiple known factors that influence postpartum appointment attendance rates, including race–ethnicity, insurance status, parity, severity of hypertensive disorder, and method of birth, little is known about the effects of preeclampsia in a woman’s prior pregnancy on her blood pressure–appointment attendance rates in a subsequent pregnancy.