New screening tool can identify preeclampsia risk sooner, test maker says

A new blood test can be performed in a pregnant person’s first trimester to help assess their risk of developing preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication.

A new blood test can be performed in a pregnant person’s first trimester to help assess their risk of developing preeclampsia, a potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication. It’s the first and only test of its kind available in the United States that can be used between 11 and 14 weeks gestation to determine the risk of preeclampsia before 34 weeks of pregnancy, its maker, Labcorp, announced Wednesday. The first trimester is the period from 0 to 13 weeks of a pregnancy. However, the new test doesn’t change clinical guidance on preeclampsia, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, also known as ACOG. Some doctors question how it will help. “It is currently unclear how useful the LabCorp test will be in accurately predicting risk for developing preeclampsia and whether it is appropriate for all pregnant patients,” Dr. Christopher Zahn, ACOG’s interim CEO and chief of clinical practice and health equity and quality, said in a statement. “Before a screening test can be successfully employed, there needs to be an evidence-based intervention to either prevent or reduce the impact of the disease. We currently have no data on how to reduce the risk for a pregnant patient predicted to have preeclampsia from a blood test early in pregnancy as opposed to clinical factors,” he added. Preeclampsia is a complication of pregnancy marked by elevated blood pressure and high levels of protein in the urine or other signs of organ damage. The condition typically develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy – in the second trimester – and if left untreated, it can turn serious or deadly for both mother and baby.