Could Grip Strength Predict Pregnancy Complications?

New research published in the Chinese Medical Journal suggests that something as simple as handgrip strength early in pregnancy could offer important clues about a woman’s risk for complications like hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. These conditions, including preeclampsia, are among the leading causes of health problems for both mothers and babies, making early risk identification especially important.

“Absolute grip strength tends to be higher in individuals with greater body mass, but higher body weight itself is a risk factor for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy,” noted study investigator An Pan, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology at Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in China. “Small increases in muscle strength may not offset the harmful effects of excess fat mass, which partly explains the nonlinear association we observed.”

Investigators followed approximately 6,800 pregnant women and measured their grip strength at approximately 10 weeks into pregnancy. Grip strength was assessed in different ways, including overall strength and strength relative to body size. The goal was to see whether muscle strength could be linked to the risk of developing high blood pressure–related complications later in pregnancy.

What Stronger Grip May Signal

The findings showed a clear pattern: Women with stronger grip strength early in pregnancy were less likely to develop hypertensive disorders. In fact, those with the highest grip strength had about a 65% lower risk compared to those with the lowest levels.

Interestingly, the relationship wasn’t perfectly linear for all measures. For absolute grip strength, risk dropped more noticeably after a certain threshold (around 18 kg), suggesting that once a minimum level of strength is reached, the protective effect becomes more consistent. When grip strength was adjusted for body size, however, the relationship appeared more steadily protective across levels.

A Window Into Overall Health

Grip strength may reflect more than just muscle power — it can serve as a marker of overall health. In this study, women with higher relative grip strength also tended to have more favorable metabolic profiles. This included lower levels of cholesterol, inflammation markers and indicators of insulin resistance, all of which are linked to better cardiovascular health.

Because cardiovascular disease and metabolic health are closely tied to pregnancy outcomes, this connection may help explain why stronger grip strength is associated with lower risk.

Why Does This Matter?

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy can develop quickly and may not always be easy to predict. Having a simple, low-cost screening tool like grip strength could help identify women who may benefit from closer monitoring or early interventions.

While grip strength alone wouldn’t replace other medical tests, it could become a useful addition to routine prenatal care­, ­­­especially in settings where access to more advanced screening tools is limited.

This research highlights a promising new way to assess pregnancy risk using a quick and noninvasive measure. Stronger grip strength early in pregnancy was linked to a lower likelihood of developing high blood pressure–related complications, suggesting that muscle strength may be an important piece of the overall health puzzle during pregnancy.

“Handgrip training has been shown to reduce oxidative stress and inflammation — two key pathways in the development of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy,” said Pan. “Myokines released from contracting muscles, such as irisin, may also exert antihypertensive effects. Animal studies suggest that elevated irisin levels can improve preeclampsia by enhancing vascular remodeling and embryo implantation.”

The team noted that more research is needed to better understand whether improving grip strength can help reduce the risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.