Intensive postpartum antihypertensive treatment (IPAT) and healthy lifestyle education: Study protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial for patients with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.

Background: Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) complicate about 10 % of pregnancies and lead to postpartum hospital readmissions and cardiovascular complications. Following HDP, vascular dysfunction could persist and accelerate the trajectory of cardiovascular disease risk. The benefits of intensive blood pressure (BP) control following HDP have not been adequately investigated.