Delivery between the 34th and 36th week of pregnancy in women with pre-eclampsia can improve outcomes for mother and baby.Credit: Prostock-Studio/ iStock/ Getty Images Plus
Delivery between the 34th and 36th week of pregnancy in women with pre-eclampsia can improve outcomes for mother and baby.
Prior to the study, undertaken in Zambia and India, and published in The Lancet, recommendations suggested women with pre-eclampsia should be routinely delivered at 37 weeks gestation, unless severely sick. The study confirmed that early delivery reduces the risk of dangerously high blood pressure in mothers. In babies delivered early, there was a significant reduction (75%) in stillbirths and no difference in deaths after birth. Early delivery favoured most outcomes, with no increase in the need for neonatal care.
The study was undertaken by a team from University of Zambia, KLE Academy in India, and King’s College London.
Catherine Cluver from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, South Africa said: “Planned delivery in late preterm preeclampsia is an important intervention to reduce global maternal and perinatal morbidity. The observed reduction in stillbirth reinforces that the safest place for the baby in late preterm preeclampsia is in the cradle.”
