Baby Aspirin Found to Prevent Fatal Pre-eclampsia for Pregnant Women

Aspirin in low dosages, also known as baby aspirin, has been found to reduce fatal health complications, specifically high blood pressure, in pregnant women.

Pre-eclampsia, an often life-threatening complication, causes high blood pressure during pregnancy, affecting approximately every one in 20 pregnancies. It can lead to preterm birth, heart disease and other health issues. 

As one of the top causes of maternal mortality nationwide, those at risk include individuals carrying multiple fetuses, those with kidney or autoimmune diseases, those with chronic hypertension and those with a family history of pre-eclampsia. 

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, as well as the American College of Obstetrician and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, support the recommendation. Patients can begin taking this low dosage of aspirin starting at 16 weeks of pregnancy. Studies began dosages in either the second or third trimester up until delivery or near term.

The risk of developing pre-eclampsia can be reduced by 15% after taking baby aspirin, which also reduced the risk of premature birth by 20% and the risk of intrauterine growth restriction by 18%. Furthermore, no harms, such as postpartum hemorrhages, were associated with daily aspirin use, although longer-term health impacts still need to be further observed.

Awareness of pre-eclampsia, as well as of effective solutions, is low in the United States. When surveyed, only one in five families were familiar with this intervention. While many patients are not informed of this issue, many health providers are also not actively looking for potential risks and predispositions. 

A new national campaign called “Low Dose, Big Benefits” has been established to raise awareness to both expecting women and healthcare providers. The March of Dimes organization that started this campaign works to educate families to learn about various maternal and infant health topics. 

As an over-the-counter medication, baby aspirin is an easily-accessible medication in common pharmacies. However, research from different trials must be analyzed to find an effective way to identify patients at higher risk from pre-eclampsia.