The U.S Preventive Services Task Force stated that taking low doses of aspirin is safe for pregnant women as a reliever from the pains of preeclampsia.
According to the National Institute of Health, preeclampsia affects an estimated five to 10 percent of all pregnant women worldwide. About 40 to 60 percent of maternal deaths are related to this condition and remains as the leading cause of preterm and stillbirths in developing countries. Women with pre-existing migraines, diabetes, arthritis, urinary tract infection and polycystic ovary syndrome are most at risk.
Although aspirin is not recommended being taken by pregnant women, the task force explained that low doses could be taken provided that the pregnant woman has no existing health issues.
According to them, women suffering from preeclampsia should take at most 81 milligrams of aspirin, a dosage that makes for the "baby aspirin", every day during the final week of her first trimester. The dosage is recommended for women whose doctors think that they are at high risk for preeclampsia and for those who have no allergies to aspirin.
Michael L. LeFevre, chairman of the task force, explained to the Wall Street Journal that preeclampsia is "...actually one of the more common conditions that lead to complications in the mother and baby."
He also explained that women who are at risk for developing the condition should be carefully examined by their doctors before giving them baby aspirins. Women who are at moderate risk for suffering from preeclampsia include those who are obese, have a family history of the disease, carrying twins or multiples, and have a high blood pressure before the pregnancy.
"Indiscriminate use of aspirin", on the other hand, should not be a popular practice among pregnant women, James N. Martin Jr., past president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told the WSJ However, he maintained that using low doses of the drug should not be a problem.
