Study: Aspirin During Pregnancy Lowers Birth Risks

LONDON — Taking aspirin may reduce the risk of dangerously high blood pressure in pregnant women as well as premature births, according to a study in the Lancet.

The blood-pressure condition, called pre-eclampsia, and births before 34 weeks of pregnancy were 10% less likely in women taking aspirin, researchers led by Lisa Askie of the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia found in an analysis of more than 30,000 pregnant mothers.

Pre-eclampsia is marked by a sudden increase in blood pressure after 20 weeks and can be fatal to the mother and baby. Symptons include protein in the urine and swelling of the hands and feet. Some 3% to 4% of women are estimated to develop the condition and the only cure is delivery of the baby, according to the National Institutes of Health. The researchers studied 63 clinical trials in 33 countries over 20 years, starting in 1985.