Background: While pregnancy loss has been linked to increased long-term maternal cardiovascular risk, its implications for paternal cardiovascular health remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the association between spousal pregnancy loss and the risk of paternal cardiovascular disease (CVD), and to explore the potential modifying or mediating roles of metabolic disorders and depressive symptoms. Methods: We utilized data from two nationally representative studies: the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) for longitudinal cohort analysis and the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) for cross-sectional validation. The primary outcomes were self-reported, physician-diagnosed CVD. Logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations. Results: In CHARLS (n = 3,658; mean age = 59), 896 of 3,658 men (24.5%) reported spousal pregnancy loss. Spousal pregnancy loss was associated with a 19% increased risk of CVD (HR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.01–1.40). Risk appeared to increase with the number of losses (HR for one loss: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.00–1.39; HR for two or more: 1.37, 95% CI: 0.94–1.99; p-trend = 0.02). In HRS (n = 2,147; mean age = 67), spousal pregnancy loss was similarly associated with increased CVD risk (OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.07–1.38). The associations were consistent across subgroups and were not significantly modified by the presence of metabolic disorders or depressive symptoms (all p-interaction > 0.1; p-mediation > 0.2). Conclusions: Spousal pregnancy loss is associated with elevated CVD risk in men. These findings underscore the importance of recognizing the broader health impacts of pregnancy loss and suggest the need for supportive interventions that include paternal health. Additionally, future strategies should aim to prevent pregnancy loss as a means of facilitating early primary prevention of CVD within household settings .
Cancan Cui (Tue,) studied this question.