THURSDAY, Feb. 12, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Universal aspirin dispensation at the first prenatal visit is associated with reduced development of preeclampsia with severe features (SPE), according to a study presented at The Pregnancy Meeting, the annual meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, held from Feb. 8 to 13 in Las Vegas.
Elaine L. Duryea, M.D., from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and colleagues reported the effect of universal aspirin dispensation in a population in which the majority of patients had a moderate or high risk for preeclampsia in an inception cohort study including all deliveries at a public hospital. Direct dispensation of aspirin 162 mg daily to all patients presenting for prenatal care ≤16 weeks of gestation began on Aug. 3, 2022. Two cohorts of 18,457 patients were compared before and after aspirin implementation.
The researchers found that the rate of SPE was significantly lower for patients in the aspirin epoch (5.19 versus 7.12 percent; odds ratio, 0.71). In addition, in the aspirin epoch, the time to SPE diagnosis was longer. In the aspirin epoch, patients with chronic hypertension and those without chronic hypertension were less likely to develop SPE (odds ratios, 0.72 and 0.63, respectively). No change was seen in the rate of neonatal intraventricular hemorrhage or gastroschisis, nor was there a change in the frequency of placental abruption. There was a decrease in the rate of postpartum hemorrhage, defined as blood loss >1,000 mL, with aspirin (8.9 versus 9.5 percent).
"Implementation of directly dispensed aspirin in this high-risk pregnant population appeared to delay the onset, and for some patients completely prevent the development of preeclampsia with severe features," Duryea said in a statement.