Pregnancy is a time of wonder, anticipation, joy and sometimes morning sickness. But for women who develop a condition called preeclampsia, pregnancy can be deadly. Now, researchers at Mayo Clinic are developing a new test to determine which women are at risk.
Jenifer Servais started feeling bad during the third trimester of her pregnancy. She was tired all the time and had headaches. Those symptoms were caused by preeclampsia, a potentially deadly condition that causes high blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy.
The disease has been the leading cause of death in pregnant women for generations. “Treatment nowadays is the same as it was hundreds of years ago, which is delivery,” explained Dr. Vesna Garovic of Mayo Clinic.
That means women with severe preeclampsia, like Servais, may have to deliver their babies prematurely or risk serious complications for both mom and the baby. Servais delivered her baby boy at 30 weeks.
Preeclampsia, which happens usually after 20 weeks of pregnancy, causes damage to blood vessels, including arteries that lead to the placenta. This is what causes blood pressure to rise and protein to end up in the urine.
Garovic and her team at Mayo Clinic are developing a unique urine test that identifies highly specialized kidney cells in the urine. If positive, this test may predice preeclampsia up to 12 weeks before any symptoms develop.
“If we can successfully predict preeclampsia, we still don’t have a specific treatment,” Garovic said. “However, these women would then be closely followed for high blood pressure and treated in a timely fashion. Just treating the high blood pressure can prevent severe consequences such as stroke, heart problems and kidney problems.”
And if mom stays healthy, there’s a better chance that she will go full term and deliver a healthy baby.
The test is still in the research phase, but researchers hope it will be available for use in the near future.
Doctors say if you develop vision problems, dizziness, severe headaches or sudden weight gain during pregnancy, see you physician immediately.
