Aspirin is commonly used to treat mild to moderate pain. However, a new study suggests that women who have a high risk of pregnancy complications can take low doses of aspirin to relieve the pain, according to the U.S Preventive Services Task Force.
Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine on Tuesday, the study titled "Low-Dose Aspirin for Prevention of Morbidity and Mortality From Preeclampsia: A Systematic Evidence Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force" found that after a women's first trimester, daily low doses - 81 milligrams - can be significant in reducing preeclampsia, which is one of the common complications in pregnant women.
Preeclampsia affects an estimated five to 10 percent of all pregnant women worldwide, according to the National Institute of Health. It involves an increase in blood pressure and excess protein in the urine after 20 weeks of pregnancy. About 40 to 60 percent of maternal deaths are related to this condition. It also is the leading cause of preterm and stillbirths. Women who develop preeclampsia during pregnancy are also at risk of potentially fatal organ damage or stroke.
"Preeclampsia is one of the more common causes of serious health problems for both the expectant mother and their baby," Dr. Michael LeFevre, chairman of the task force, and vice chair of family and community medicine at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, said. "At least for pregnant women at high risk for preeclampsia, a low dose of aspirin taken daily can help prevent the condition and improve the outcome for both mother and child."
In the study, Jillian Henderson, from the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., and a research team reviewed "23 randomized, controlled trials and observational studies," which included "women with high preeclampsia risks." Taking aspirin lead to a 24 percent decrease in a woman having preeclampsia during the third trimester. It reduces premature birth by 14 percent and reduces the slowing down of fetal growth by 20 percent, according to Health Day.
"Daily low-dose aspirin beginning as early as the second trimester prevented clinically important health outcomes. No harms were identified, but long-term evidence was limited," the researchers concluded, but added for every four pregnant women who have the risk of preeclampsia one is prevented with this treatment.
Risk factors in the study included being pregnant after 35 years of age, being of obese, pregnant with 1st Child, family history of Preeclampsia and also being African-American. The study concluded that medication should not be taken without consultation with a doctor as there is a risk by itself while taking aspirin when pregnant.
