Aspirin prevents dangerous complications during pregnancy

April 10, 2014  14:45

Pregnant women with high risk of serious disease called preeclampsia must take low doses of aspirin every day after their first trimester, according to a new draft recommendation by an influential U.S. panel of experts.

Daily low-dose aspirin (81 milligrams) in middle and late pregnancy can significantly reduce the occurrence of preeclampsia among these women. And it can lower the risk of preterm birth or low birth weight resulting from the pregnancy-related condition, according to the recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, reports Newsmax Health.

Preeclampsia is a complex condition that occurs in pregnant women and involves an increase in blood pressure and excess protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy. 

It's important to prevent preeclampsia because the only treatment once it takes hold is delivery, which can pose risks to the baby if performed before 34 weeks of gestation. Preeclampsia is responsible for more than one-third of the serious health problems that occur among pregnant women, and 15 percent of preterm births.

Pregnant women who contract preeclampsia can suffer potentially life-threatening organ damage or stroke. Unborn fetuses grow too slowly as the condition robs them of oxygen and nutrients, leading to low birth weight babies, preterm birth or stillbirth, the researchers explained.

Women at high risk of preeclampsia include those in the following categories:

have had preeclampsia in previous pregnancies,

have high blood pressure or diabetes prior to pregnancy,

are having twins, triplets or even more in a multi-birth pregnancy.

Daily low-dose aspirin use reduced the risk of preterm birth by 14 percent and of slow fetal growth by 20 percent, according to the new review of the latest medical data. And it led to a 24 percent reduction in the overall occurrence of preeclampsia, the review found.

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