NEW YORK (360Dx) — The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) today released guidelines for the screening and prevention of preeclampsia.
In its recommendations, London-based FIGO — which is composed of 132 national societies of obstetricians and gynecologists worldwide — calls for all nations to integrate universal screening of pregnant women for preterm preeclampsia into basic first-trimester evaluation protocols.
Specifically, FIGO says pregnant women should be evaluated at 11 to 13 weeks plus six days gestation using a combination of maternal risk factors and four biomarkers: mean arterial pressure (MAP), uterine artery pulsatility index, serum placental growth factor, and serum pregnancy associated plasma protein-A. Even in resource-limited areas, maternal risk factors and MAP should be evaluated at a minimum in all pregnancies, according to FIGO.
Women found to be at high risk for preeclampsia should receive preventative nightly doses of aspirin until 36 weeks gestation, FIGO recommended.
The guidelines were developed by FIGO's Pregnancy and Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Committee with support from PerkinElmer and appear in the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics.
"FIGO is pleased to launch our first evidence-based guidelines to support first trimester screening and prevention of preeclampsia," FIGO President Carlos Fuchtner said in a statement. "These guidelines provide another essential tool to health professionals, health policy makers, and FIGO's 132 member societies in addressing the NCD epidemic long-term, and accelerating progress in reducing maternal mortality."