Research findings reveal new way to reduce pre-eclampsia

12 December 2025 - PREVENT-PE trial shows that planned birth at term can reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia by almost a third

A research trial, led by researchers from King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London, has found that screening for pre-eclampsia risk at 36 weeks of pregnancy, and then offering planned early term delivery according to the mother’s risk, can reduce the incidence of subsequent pre-eclampsia by 30%, compared with usual care.

Published in the Lancet, the findings of the PREVENT-PE trial show that a planned birth at term reduces the incidence of pre-eclampsia in women at high risk of the condition, without increasing emergency Caesarean or neonatal unit admission.

Pre-eclampsia is high blood pressure that develops during pregnancy, most commonly at term gestational age. The condition affects 2-8% of pregnancies worldwide and can be life-threatening. While aspirin can be taken to significantly reduce the risk of developing pre-eclampsia before 37 weeks of pregnancy, there are no treatments available to reduce risk at term (37-42 weeks).

Funded by the Fetal Medecine Foundation (FMF), the PREVENT-PE trial recruited over 8,000 women from King’s College Hospital and Medway NHS Foundation Trusts. Women were randomly allocated into one of two groups: the intervention group (risk assessment for pre-eclampsia, followed by planned early term delivery according to risk) and the control group (usual care at term). Those at high risk of developing pre-eclampsia at term were offered planned birth at 37, 38, 39 or 40 weeks of pregnancy. Women considered to be at low risk received usual care, according to their hospital protocols and UK standards of care.

Kypros Nicolaides, Professor of Fetal Medicine at King’s College Hospital, and founder and chairman of the FMF, who was a senior author of the paper, said: “A 30% reduction in term pre-eclampsia, from 5.6% to 3.9%, is very important. It represents an even greater reduction in the number of pre-eclampsia cases than we can achieve for preterm pre-eclampsia with aspirin.”

Dr Argyro Syngelaki, Specialist Consultant Midwife at King’s College Hospital, and co-lead author of the paper, said: “This trial took place in busy NHS maternity units serving a highly diverse population, and often socially deprived communities where the burden of pre-eclampsia is greatest. The high level of participation and adherence shows that a personalised, risk-based approach is acceptable, practical, and aligns with what women want from their care. Achieving a 30% reduction in term pre-eclampsia, without increasing emergency Caesarean birth or neonatal admissions, represents a meaningful and reassuring improvement for women, babies, and maternity services.”

Read the full paper in The Lancet: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(25)01207-3/fulltext