A blood test given as early as the end of the first trimester of pregnancy could help identify patients at the highest risk of preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition associated with high blood pressure in pregnancy, before it occurs.
Preeclampsia dramatically raises the odds of stillbirth and preterm birth, as well as of maternal organ damage, seizures and death. There is currently no cure for preeclampsia, which can occur from 20 weeks of pregnancy to up to six weeks postpartum, and once it's developed, delivery is the only way to prevent the worst outcomes.
