According to a new report, taking low-dose aspirin once per day can help pregnant women keep a deadly condition at bay.
Preeclampsia is a high blood pressure disorder that affects pregnant women, and it can be deadly if not treated properly.
New research shows, however, that pregnant mothers who take small daily doses of aspirin stand to cut their preeclampsia risk significantly.
Past studies into preeclampsia have used baby aspirin, which is 81 milligrams. At that amount, women showed a risk reduction of about 10 percent.
In this recent study, however, researchers doubled the aspirin dose to around 150 milligrams. When they did, results improved dramatically — 62 percent of the women now showed risk reduction.
While the exact cause of preeclampsia is unknown, women who are pregnant, or thinking about getting pregnant, should keep a few things in mind:
- Existing conditions like diabetes or autoimmune disease can increase chances of preeclampsia during pregnancy.
- If you’re obese, consider losing weight to reduce risk.
- Talk to your doctor if you have longstanding high blood pressure.
- The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends pregnant women at high risk of preeclampsia take baby aspirin beginning around 12-18 weeks.
Women should talk to their doctors before using ANY drugs during pregnancy — aspirin included since it does increase the risk of bleeding. But in this particular study, there were NO serious side effects for either mothers or their babies following the increased aspirin intake.
