Led by researchers from Keele University along with colleagues at the University Hospital of North Midlands Trust (UHNM), the University of Arizona, and the University of Leicester, together the team analyzed 21 studies which looked at a total of over five million women.

They found that giving birth to a premature baby, which affects 10 percent of all pregnancies and is defined as delivery before 37 gestational weeks, had long-term implications for the mother's health as well as being linked to poor health in babies. 

Women who give birth before 37 weeks are 1.4-1.6 times more likely to experience cardiovascular disease, stroke, and coronary heart disease than mothers who give birth at full term (39 weeks), and also have double the risk of death caused by coronary heart disease.

Commenting on the findings lead author Dr. Pensee Wu said, "Doctors need to be aware that women who have had premature births are at higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and should be considering obstetric history during a woman's cardiovascular risk assessment."

The team added that women at a higher risk should be supported and encouraged to lower their risk by following a healthy lifestyle, making any necessary behavioral changes, and also by been prescribed appropriate drug therapies.

"I hope this work will raise awareness amongst hospitals and primary care doctors of the lifestyle advice that they can give women who have had a preterm birth in the past," concluded Wu.

The team are now planning on conducting further research to understand the causes of this increased cardiovascular risk in women who have premature births.

The findings can be found published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association.