A study in mice suggests that the use of low-dose aspirin to prevent preeclampsia, a dangerous complication of pregnancy, is safe for both the fetus and mom-to-be."Based on our results, it seems like low-dose aspirin shouldn’t cause any harm to the delivery process and to the normal length of pregnancy. And it shouldn’t be harmful to the fetus,” said Colin Funk, lead author of the study from Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada. The researchers stress, however, that this study hasn’t resolved whether or not aspirin might be effective in reducing risks for preeclampsia, a potentially fatal condition in which maternal blood pressure can suddenly soar, raising risks for stroke, seizures and organ damage. Preeclampsia affects between 5 percent and 8 percent of all pregnancies, according to the Preeclampsia Foundation. The disorder, whose exact cause is still unknown, is most common in first pregnancies and often starts in the third trimester. Risk factors for the disorder include a prior or family history of preeclampsia, high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or kidney problems.In the new study, published online Thursday in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Funk and his colleagues genetically engineered a strain of mice with reduced levels of the enzyme COX 1. This, in turn, reduced circulating levels of prostaglandin H synthase 1 (PGHS 1), a compound important to clotting.
