Possible Test For Pre-Eclampsia

It’s never to early to start thinking about your next pregnancy (hahahaha).

Seriously though, if you had pre-eclampsia last time, then a new test might be able to help you next time. That’s according to an article in Macleans’ Magazine. Pre-eclampsia is recognised by high blood pressure, unexplained weight gain and protein in the urine. It affects 3 to 8% of pregnant women and the only cure is delivery of the baby.

According to the article the test relies on measuring two substances in the pregnant mother’s blood. All text quoted below is directly from the Macleans’ health section report:

• Dr. Abdelaziz Kharfi, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, has found that high concentrations of two substances in the blood — human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and hydrogen peroxide — can indicate a woman is on course to develop pre-eclampsia.

• Seeing raised hCG levels is not new, he says. What is new is the observation that the more the hydrogen peroxide levels go up, the more hCG levels also rise.

• At present, pre-eclampsia can only be diagnosed after the 20th week of pregnancy, but Kharfi says the test could detect the condition during the first few weeks, when treatment may be possible. “Antioxidant treatment with vitamins C and E, anti-inflammatories or anti-hypertensive medications are all therapies that might be able to treat this condition.”

• At present, pre-eclampsia can only be diagnosed after the 20th week of pregnancy, but Kharfi says the test could detect the condition during the first few weeks, when treatment may be possible. “Antioxidant treatment with vitamins C and E, anti-inflammatories or anti-hypertensive medications are all therapies that might be able to treat this condition.”