17 September 2026 · The Pharmacist
Pre-pregnancy multimorbidity linked to increased complication risks
A large-scale study analysing more than 2.2 million pregnancies across the United Kingdom has identified an association between pre-existing multimorbidity and an increased risk of pregnancy-related complications. The research indicates that women who enter pregnancy with multiple long-term physical or mental health conditions face an elevated likelihood of experiencing adverse maternal and fetal outcomes across a wide range of complications.
Specifically, the data revealed that women with two or more pre-existing conditions had a 20 percent higher risk of miscarriage compared with individuals who did not have multiple chronic conditions. The findings point to the significant clinical influence of underlying chronic disease burdens, demonstrating that the presence of multiple concurrent health diagnoses prior to conception represents an important risk factor during gestation.
While comprehensive clinical breakdowns of the specific conditions studied were not fully detailed in the initial source report, the overall findings highlight the importance of holistic health assessments prior to and during pregnancy. For UK online pharmacies and digital prescribing services, this may reinforce the operational need for robust medical history questionnaires and clinical checks to accurately identify pre-existing physical and mental health multimorbidities before treatment is authorised.