Planned Early-Term Birth Cuts Preeclampsia Incidence in High-Risk Women

THURSDAY, Dec. 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Planned early-term birth based on risk stratification for preeclampsia reduces preeclampsia incidence, without an increase in complications, according to a study published online Dec. 4 in The Lancet.

James Goadsby, M.D., from King”s College Hospital in London, and colleagues investigated the effect of screening for preeclampsia risk at 36 weeks of gestation and offering risk-stratified, planned, early-term birth. The analysis included 8,094 women randomly assigned to preeclampsia assessment and risk-stratified, planned early-term birth (intervention group) or to usual care (control group).

The researchers found that preeclampsia occurred in 3.9 percent of 4,037 births in the intervention group and in 5.6 percent of 4,057 in the control group (adjusted risk ratio, 0.70; intention-to-treat analysis with imputation). There was no difference between the groups for serious adverse events (e.g., emergency cesarean section or neonatal care unit admission; 0.1 and 0.2 percent, respectively).

“A 30 percent reduction in term preeclampsia, from 5.6 percent to 3.9 percent, is very important. It represents an even greater reduction in the number of preeclampsia cases than we can achieve for preterm preeclampsia with aspirin,” senior author Kypros Nicolaides, M.D., also from King’s College Hospital, said in a statement.

Abstract/Full Text

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