Did you know that May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month? Preeclampsia is a condition that affects 1 in 12 pregnancies—including celebs like Serena Williams, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, and Meghan Markle—yet it remains largely misunderstood, underdiagnosed, and unspoken.

If you are a pregnant woman concerned about Preeclampsia, then Mirvie's new Encompass Blood Test Kit can offer a solution.

Encompass ($1,850) is the first-ever simple blood test that can predict a woman’s personalized risk of developing preeclampsia months before symptoms appear.

To learn more about Encompass and how it can empower pregnant woman to be more knowable about their health, I was connected with Dr. Dallas Reed, a leading OBGYN and geneticist, and advisor to Mirvie.

Here's what Dr. Reed shared

Why preeclampsia is so elusive—and deadly

Until now, there hasn’t been a good way to predict who will develop preeclampsia so providers and expectant parents have had to watch for symptoms and “wait and see.”

The challenge is, once symptoms develop, preeclampsia can get bad quickly, necessitating quick action to have the best outcome for the pregnant person and baby. Preeclampsia can lead to serious complications such as seizure, stroke, organ failure, hemorrhage, and even death.

Survivors also face a 4x increased risk of heart failure and a 2x increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and death because of cardiovascular disease across their lifetime.

• Preeclampsia affects 1 in 12 pregnancies in the United States and can lead to serious complications for the pregnant person and baby. It is characterized by high blood pressure that usually develops after the 20th week of pregnancy, but usually occurs after 27 weeks.
• Symptoms of preeclampsia include high blood pressure, persistent headache, vision changes, chest pain, and shortness of breath.
• Often striking without warning, the disease is also a leading cause of poor fetal growth and preterm birth, and can result in prolonged NICU and hospital stays.
• The only treatment for preeclampsia once it develops is delivery. Although we try to manage the symptoms and monitor closely, oftentimes symptoms worsen no matter what we do, and preterm delivery is required. We try our best to get pregnancies to 37 weeks when we identify preeclampsia, but many times this is not possible.

Preeclampsia can progress rapidly and often occurs in healthy pregnancies that were otherwise progressing normally.

How Encompass empowers women during their pregnancy journey

Encompass is a first-of-its-kind solution in pregnancy care to address the rising rates of pregnancy complications. Encompass combines a breakthrough blood test to predict personal preeclampsia risk with an evidence-based preventive action plan supported by a responsive virtual assistant to offer individualized support for the healthiest pregnancy possible.

• By receiving personalized risk predictions early in their pregnancy, pregnant women can work with their care team to take proactive steps to prevent or delay onset.
• Encompass is taken between 18 and 22 weeks of pregnancy and identifies who’s at high risk for pre-term preeclampsia based on the unique biology of each pregnancy, helping usher in personalized, preventive care. The timing of the test allows the pregnant person to know their status before symptoms appear.
• It’s initially being rolled out for pregnant people who will be 35 or older at their due date with no pre-existing high-risk conditions for preeclampsia, like a twin pregnancy, preexisting diabetes, history of prior preeclampsia, chronic hypertension, or kidney disease.

With Encompass families can be proactive and preventive in the care of preeclampsia by learning the risk early.

To learn more, visit - www.encompasstest.com