Pregnant women told to incorporate aspirin into healthcare plan

Certain groups of women should take aspirin as part of their healthcare plan during pregnancy, it has been advised.

Health watchdog the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) has said that a small amount of aspirin taken each day could help lower high blood pressure (hypertension) for those with, or at risk of developing, the condition.

Hypertension, which is more common in first-time pregnancies, is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK.

Furthermore, it can lead to health implications for their babies, with a greater likelihood of them being stillborn or smaller than average, while mothers are at an increased risk of developing high blood pressure later in life.

The advice forms part of new guidelines being issued to GPs that, for the first time, sets out how they should deal with pregnant women with hypertension.

Dr Fergus Macbeth, director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, said: "If not properly managed [hypertension] can cause serious health problems.

"That's why it's important that women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy and who have either been diagnosed or identified as being at risk of developing a form of hypertension, receive a consistent, high standard of antenatal and postnatal care to prevent problems occurring."

A number of risk factors are associated with high blood pressure, including smoking, alcohol and a sedentary lifestyle.

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