Prevention of Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes With Low-Dose ASA in Early Pregnancy: New Perspectives for Future Randomized Trials

Abstract Recent evidence suggests that treatment with low-dose acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) started early in pregnancy could prevent preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), two complications involving placental dysfunction. Preterm birth could also potentially be prevented, suggesting that it could share mechanisms of disease with preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. Because there is new evidence that placental dysfunction can be predicted as early as in the first trimester, we argue that there is a need for randomized controlled trials of lowdose ASA for the prevention of preeclampsia, IUGR, and possibly preterm birth among nulliparous women with early indicators of placental dysfunction.