Association between gestational cardiovascular health in the first trimester and pregnancy outcomes in the China birth cohort

To determine whether gestational cardiovascular health (CVH) during the first trimester is associated with a risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes. A multicentre prospective cohort; part of the China birth cohort study. Pregnant women were recruited at 6–13+6 gestation weeks and followed to delivery to identify pregnancy outcomes. Gestational CVH in the first trimester was assessed using five CVH metrics: body mass index, smoking, blood pressure, glucose, and lipids. Multilevel modified Poisson regression models calculated the relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) of gestational CVH for adverse pregnancy outcomes. Among 56,852 pregnant women, the mean score for gestational CVH during the first trimester was 9.1. Adjusting for confounding factors, each 1-point decrease in the total gestational CVH score significantly increased the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (RR = 1.682, 95% CI: 1.624–1.743), gestational diabetes mellitus (RR = 1.405, 95% CI: 1.384–1.426), preterm birth (RR = 1.184, 95% CI: 1.174–1.195), large for gestational age (RR = 1.224, 95% CI: 1.199–1.250), caesarean delivery (RR = 1.073, 95% CI: 1.049–1.097), and low Apgar score (RR = 1.131, 95% CI: 1.003–1.277) significantly increased. Meanwhile, the risk of small for gestational age decreased (SGA; RR = 0.922, 95% CI: 0.898–0.946). Worsened CVH categories significantly increased the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, excluding SGA. Poor gestational CVH in the first trimester significantly increases the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, emphasising the need for early improvement in gestational CVH.