Labcorp has begun rolling out a new blood test that aims to predict the risk of a pregnant person developing preeclampsia, with screening results available as early as the first trimester.
The test is designed to be performed between 11 and 14 weeks into pregnancy and delivers a risk score for developing the condition before 34 weeks. The clinical diagnostics giant said it can be used to screen people with low to average risk profiles as well as during first-time pregnancies.
Associated with high blood pressure and other potentially severe complications, including organ dysfunction and seizures, preeclampsia can develop into one of the main causes of maternal and fetal mortality if left untreated.
The condition affects about 1 in 25 pregnancies in the U.S., according to Labcorp, while risks are typically higher among non-Hispanic Black women, with cases reported at a 60% higher rate compared to white women.
The test taps four blood-based biomarkers—including two chemical readouts measuring placental growth factor and pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A, plus readings of the patient’s mean arterial pressure and uterine artery pulsatility. Low levels of those two proteins can indicate poor placental development, while high pressure and pulsatility figures are associated with increased resistance to blood flow.
Labcorp said its approach can deliver up to 90% sensitivity and can help identify a person’s risk earlier than traditional systems such as hypertension or the presence of proteins in urine, which tend to be found after 20 weeks of gestation.
The new test follows up on Labcorp’s January launch of a blood test developed by Thermo Fisher Scientific for detecting the signs of severe preeclampsia in single-child pregnancies between about 23 and 34 weeks. With the latest offering, Labcorp said it “is now the only laboratory to offer tests that screen for preeclampsia risk across all trimesters of pregnancy.”