Preeclampsia can be fatal for pregnant people and babies. New blood tests aim to show who’s at risk

By LAURA UNGAR
AP Science Writer

At least one in 20 people who are pregnant develop a scary complication called preeclampsia, a high blood pressure disorder that kills 70,000 women and 500,000 babies worldwide every year. New blood tests may help doctors predict and manage the condition. One test is designed to be performed between 11 and 14 weeks gestation. Two others are used in the second and third trimesters on hospitalized patients to assess whether they are at risk for severe preeclampsia within a couple of weeks.