Study: How Low-Dose Aspirin May Help Preemies

The Scoop

Women at risk for preterm birth and advised to take low-dose aspirin as a way to reduce complications are not harming their babies—and may actually be helping their child's future development, new research from France suggests.

The study, published in the January issue of the journal Pediatrics, used data on 656 children born before the 33rd week of pregnancy to 584 French women. About 21 percent of the women took a daily low-dose aspirin during pregnancy. At age 5, children whose mothers had taken aspirin were slightly less likely to have behavioral difficulties or hyperactivity. Researchers also found that babies whose mothers had taken aspirin faced no increased risk for death, cerebral lesions (brain bleeds), or cerebral palsy. Though the results were not statistically significant, according to the study, they could warrant follow-up research.

Your Pregnancy

Under the theory that aspirin aids blood flow between the placenta and fetus, obstetricians sometimes prescribe a daily, low-dose aspirin regimen to moms-to-be at risk for encountering (or already diagnosed with) such complications as hypertension, preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, or placental vascular disease. Enhanced blood flow could mean a greater chance at optimal fetal growth and development in babies that end up being born long before their due dates.

"This study is important because it helps reassure both us as the physician and patients that giving low-dose aspirin is not associated with a higher risk of problems in the baby," commented Ashley Roman, a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology at NYU Langone Medical Center in an interview with ScoutNews via Business Week. Roman was not involved in the research.