Rising Hypertensive Disorders Among U.S. Pregnant Women

A CDC report released in 2026 shows that high blood pressure during pregnancy has risen sharply. In 2024, one in 10 pregnant women nationwide had hypertension, up from roughly one in 17 in 2016—a 73 percent increase. The data, drawn from hospital-completed birth certificates, exclude chronic hypertension diagnosed before pregnancy, which the CDC estimates now affects about 3.7 percent of all pregnancies.

New York Times

Maternal mortality in the United States remains higher than in other wealthy nations, and hypertensive disorders rank among the leading causes of pregnancy-related death and morbidity. Elevated blood pressure heightens the risk of preterm birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, placental abruption, and maternal organ failure, and it contributes to long-term cardiovascular disease for women.

New York Times

• 2024 prevalence: 10 % of pregnant women with hypertension.

New York Times

• 2016 prevalence: ~5.9 % (?1 in 17).

New York Times

• Increase: 73 % over the eight-year span.

New York Times

• Chronic hypertension: 3.7 % of pregnancies, also on an upward trend.

New York Times

These figures are based on the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics and reflect information recorded on birth certificates, which may under-report the true burden.

New York Times

Dr. Elizabeth K. Cherot, an obstetrician-gynecologist who previously led the March of Dimes and now serves as chief medical officer at Unified Women’s Healthcare, said clinicians are observing the rise across all demographic groups. She emphasized that the reported numbers likely underestimate the problem because many cases are not captured on birth certificates.

New York Times

• “This is a substantial rise, and the author notes that this is probably under-reported on birth certificates, so the true rates may be even higher,” — Dr. Elizabeth K. Cherot

New York Times

• “Clinicians are absolutely seeing this, and seeing it across the board — across every race, age and geographic region,” — Dr. Cherot

New York Times