Heart HealthHow Pregnancy Reveals Long-Term Cardiometabolic Risk — and What It Means for Maternal Health
In this episode of The Peter Attia Drive, Peter Attia speaks with Dr. Katie Gray, a high-risk obstetrician and maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Washington, about the remarkable physiologic changes of pregnancy and what they reveal about a woman's long-term health. The conversation covers gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, HELLP syndrome, and how these conditions predict future cardiovascular and metabolic disease. Dr. Gray explains how pregnancy functions as a natural stress test — one that can unmask underlying vulnerabilities years before they would otherwise surface. Additional topics include prenatal nutrition, cell-free DNA screening, exercise and sleep during pregnancy, postpartum depression, and the broader state of maternal health in the United States. The episode offers both mechanistic depth and practical guidance for clinicians and women planning or navigating pregnancy.
