A new study published on December 4 in The Lancet reports that offering planned early-term births based on individualized risk assessment can significantly reduce the incidence of preeclampsia — a major cause of maternal and neonatal complications — without increasing adverse outcomes.

The research, led by Dr. James Goadsby of King’s College Hospital in London, evaluated whether screening women at 36 weeks of pregnancy for preeclampsia risk and offering early-term delivery to those at higher risk could prevent late-onset disease. The randomized analysis involved 8,094 pregnant women, divided either into a group receiving risk-stratified early-term birth planning or a group receiving standard care.

Significant Reduction in Preeclampsia Cases

The findings showed a notable 30 percent reduction in preeclampsia cases among women who underwent risk-based screening and early-term delivery. Preeclampsia occurred in 3.9% of births in the intervention group compared with 5.6% in the usual-care group.

Researchers reported an adjusted risk ratio of 0.70, confirming that the strategy meaningfully lowers the likelihood of developing the condition.

No Increase in Adverse Events

Importantly, the early-term birth approach did not lead to an increase in complications. Rates of serious adverse outcomes — such as emergency cesarean sections or neonatal intensive care admissions — remained extremely low and similar between both groups (0.1% versus 0.2%).

A Promising Tool for Maternal Health

Senior author Dr. Kypros Nicolaides, a leading expert in fetal medicine at King’s College Hospital, emphasized the significance of the findings.

“A 30 percent reduction in term preeclampsia, from 5.6 percent to 3.9 percent, is very important. It represents an even greater reduction in the number of preeclampsia cases than we can achieve for preterm preeclampsia with aspirin,” he said.

The study provides compelling evidence that integrating risk-stratified early-term birth into routine maternity care could become a powerful strategy for reducing preeclampsia rates, potentially transforming maternal health outcomes worldwide.