OBJECTIVES: To identify the long term effects of common symptoms of pregnancy and whether these increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or symptoms associated with it in women at 21 years after pregnancy. METHODS:  Data used were from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy (MUSP), a community- based prospective birth cohort study begun in Brisbane, Australia, in 1983. Chi square test and logistic regression analyses were conducted RESULTS:  Data were available for 3692 women. In cross tabulations, morning sickness, heartburn and backache show positive association (p<0.05) with different cardiovascular outcomes. However, in the multivariate models, only those experiencing heartburn (adjusted OR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.7) during pregnancy were at greater risk of having hypertension 21 years post partum. Women experiencing morning sickness (adjusted OR 1.2, 95% CI 0.8-2.0) and backache (adjusted OR 1.1, 95% CI 0.6-1.7) were not considered to be at risk for future heart disease. CONCLUSIONS:  As a whole, our study suggests that most common symptoms of pregnancy are not associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease or with hypertension in the long term.