LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN IN THE PREVENTION OF HYPERTENSIVE DISORDERS OF PREGNANCY IN RELATIVELY LOW-RISK NULLIPAROUS WOMEN

Objective: To assess the role of low-dose aspirin in the prevention of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in relatively low-risk, healthy, nulliparous women. Method: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 118 healthy, nulliparous women with a high hemoglobin concentration in the second trimester. Participants took either 75 mg aspirin or placebo from 18 weeks until delivery. Main Outcome Measures: Patient characteristics. Pregnancy outcome including incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. Results: There was no difference in pregnancy outcome between the two groups. Specifically, the odds ratio for the incidence of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy was 1.64 (95% CI 0.59-4.6). The overall incidence of emergency caesarean section in the two groups was similar. The odds ratio for delivery by emergency caesarean section in labor was 1.29 (95% CI 0.5-3.16). There was no difference in neonatal outcome in terms of admission rates to a neonatal intensive care unit and no difference in neonatal morbidity. Conclusion: The study involves too few subjects to show statistically significant differences in outcome measures and therefore invalidates firm conclusions, but low-dose aspirin does not appear to be of benefit in healthy, nulliparous women at relatively low risk of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.