Helping others can help you heal

September 2017

PREECLAMPSIA FOUNDATION NEWS

Turning tears into hope for others

Natasha and her husband Andy suffered what no parent ever should -- the loss of their baby. Like others who experience a devastating loss, they decided to turn their tears into hope for others. So on Natasha's 30th birthday, she raised more than $2,000 for the Preeclampsia Foundation through her Facebook fundraiser. Natasha shares her story here.

After trying for more than a year to have a child, my husband and I were delighted to find out that we were expecting. The pregnancy seemed quite normal, with all the usual challenges and excitement. At my 22-week appointment, my doctor discovered protein in my urine and noticed that my blood pressure was very high. She immediately sent me to the hospital, where I was admitted and diagnosed with preeclampsia, and shortly after, HELLP syndrome.

I never experienced any of the pain or headaches associated with preeclampsia. Throughout all my time in the hospital, I never even felt sick. It still terrifies my husband and me to think that I was so close to having a stroke but I would never have known it.

Our daughter Ingrid was born at 25 weeks and lived for eight days. She came early, fought bravely, and passed peacefully. Losing her has been absolutely devastating.

On my 30th birthday, I should have still been carrying Ingrid for six more weeks. I had no interest in celebration; the only gift I wanted to receive was the hope that other parents would not experience the pain and loss we have.

Through my Facebook fundraiser, my friends and family helped us raise over $2,000 for the Preeclampsia Foundation. We can't bring back our baby girl, but we can raise awareness and fund research to help prevent others from experiencing this tragedy.

YOU CAN DONATE TOO

Thank you for making strides in the fight against preeclampsia

Jay and Mary Korey led the charge for the Pittsburgh Promise Walk for Preeclampsia, the last event held this 2017 season. The Koreys walk in honor of their second child, daughter Riley, who died as a result of preeclampsia.

Special thanks to all the walkers and sponsors who contributed their time and treasure through their local Promise Walk for Preeclampsia events. Over the years, thousands of

supporters like the Koreys have raised millions of dollars to find a cause and cure for preeclampsia through this legacy event.

We're now seeking Promise Walk for Preeclampsia Chairpeople for the 2018 season in Miami, Nashville or Memphis, New Orleans or Baton Rouge, and New York City/Brooklyn. Please email [email protected] if you're interested!

Low-dose aspirin continues to prove effective in reducing onset of preeclampsia

A new study recently published by the New England Journal of Medicine found that women at high risk for preterm preeclampsia who took aspirin were approximately three times less likely to develop the condition than women who were given a placebo.

Women from 13 different hospitals in seven different countries, who had been identified in their first trimesters as high risk for developing preeclampsia, were randomly prescribed either 150 mg of aspirin or a placebo pill.

In this double blind, prospective study, the aspirin or placebo were administered from 11 to 14 weeks of gestation until 36 weeks in women who were at high risk for preeclampsia.

Study results found that 1.6 percent of the women taking the 150 mg dose of aspirin developed preterm preeclampsia, while 4.3 percent of the women taking the placebo developed the life-threatening disorder.

WHY IT MATTERS

It's PRIME time for collaborative research

As part of its mission to catalyze preeclampsia research, the Preeclampsia Foundation has announced a new national health services research collaborative with faculty at Northwestern University in Chicago, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The collaborative's first study -- called Preeclampsia Research Innovation for Maternal Engagement (PRIME for short) -- is intended to improve preeclampsia outcomes by evaluating interventions that engage women more intentionally in their prenatal care.

To support this objective, members of the collaborative will work together to develop and pilot test a remote blood pressure monitoring intervention that utilizes mobile and health information technology to promote the early detection and treatment of preeclampsia.

"We're standing at the cusp of a potential paradigm shift for prenatal care, invoking more home-based monitoring, telemedicine, and other advances that we hope will improve outcomes and reduce costs," said Eleni Tsigas, Chief Executive Officer of the Preeclampsia Foundation. "But we need solid research to determine if these innovations will accomplish their intended goals. All expectant mothers are worthy of optimal care and healthy pregnancy outcomes."

"We have had success using technology to improve the care of women," said Sindhu Srinivas, MD, MSCE Director of Obstetrical Services and Vice Chair for Quality and Safety at the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Heart Safe Motherhood is a technology-enabled novel intervention that has achieved breakthrough outcomes in the context of keeping new mothers safe once they're discharged from the hospital after being diagnosed with preeclampsia. We have found a high level of patient engagement and a significant reduction in readmissions with this approach. We are looking forward to working with this group to revolutionize antenatal care delivery."

This two-year project will inform at least one subsequent, external grant application to further evaluate the intervention in a large randomized controlled trial and, if found to be effective, enable widespread implementation.

P.S. Thanks for keeping in touch with the Preeclampsia Foundation!

Our patient education and research funding could not happen without you. If you like this content and want to get more out to families like yours, please make a gift at preeclampsia.org/donate.