Early births – between 34 and 37 weeks – for moms with pre-eclampsia can reduce baby and mother deaths

Alice Beardmore-Gray

About half a million babies die each year as a result of pre-eclampsia, an aggressive and potentially life-threatening problem in pregnancy. Approximately 46,000 women also die each year due to the disorder.

The condition – a high blood pressure (hypertension) disorder – can affect multiple organs in the woman’s body, including the liver, kidneys, heart, brain and blood clotting system, as well as the growth and development of the foetus. If severe, and untreated, it can lead to the placenta detaching from the womb (placental abruption), seizures, stroke, maternal death and stillbirth.

Pre-eclampsia can be difficult to predict, and it can progress rapidly. The only treatment is delivery.

In a recent paper we found that planned early birth reduced the risk of stillbirth and improved most outcomes for mothers and babies. We concluded that clinicians can routinely deliver babies for mothers who have pre-eclampsia, from 34 weeks –