#36 – Can You Prevent Preeclampsia? A Deep Dive into Root Causes and Prevention Beyond Aspirin

Can you prevent preeclampsia? In this deep dive, we look at the root causes, proposed mechanisms, and holistic support strategies for one of the most serious complications of pregnancy. We are learning more about what may contribute to preeclampsia, including placental development, inflammation, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, endothelial health, genetics, nutrient status, paternal factors, the microbiome, environmental toxins, and long-term cardiovascular risk.

Aspirin is one of the most recommended prevention tools, and in this episode we get into why it is used, what it actually does, and where its benefits seem strongest. But it turns out, there may be a lot more to the prevention conversation.

In this episode, we cover:

• What preeclampsia is and how it is diagnosed
• The two-stage model of preeclampsia: abnormal placental development and maternal vascular dysfunction
• Oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, platelet activation, and endothelial health
• Genetic factors: MTHFR, homocysteine, methylation issues
• Epigenetics: how lifestyle may influence gene expression in pregnancy
• Environmental toxins, including BPA, phthalates, PFAS, heavy metals, air pollution, and placental health
• The paternal factor: semen exposure, paternal antigens, sperm health, obesity, and immune tolerance
• Gut, vaginal, oral, and urinary microbiome research
• COVID infection, COVID vaccination data, and preeclampsia risk
• Why preeclampsia is linked to future cardiovascular disease
• What the evidence actually says about baby aspirin
• Supplements that may help with prevention: Calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, lycopene, omega-3s, CoQ10, NAC, and more
• Nutrition: the DASH diet, Mediterranean diet, fiber, probiotics, and food-first nutrition strategies
• Exercise in pregnancy and what we know about hypertensive disorders
• Sleep, obstructive sleep apnea, and preeclampsia risk
• Mind-body medicine, stress physiology, mindfulness, yoga, acupuncture, and blood pressure regulation
• How to think about prevention without fear, blame, or over-supplementing

The full episode transcript with citations for all studies mentioned can be found at: drmaryellawood.com (https://drmaryellawood.com/podcast-transcripts/can-you-prevent-preeclampsia-a-deep-dive-into-root-causes-and-prevention-beyond-aspirin)

For more from me beyond the podcast, come hang out on Between Mind & Body on Substack, where I share full podcast transcripts and deeper companion content, essays, physician-created guides, emerging research, and the questions medicine has not quite answered yet.

Substack: Between Mind & Body (https://drmaryella.substack.com)
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LinkedIn: Mary Ella Wood, DO, ABOIM (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-ella-wood-do-aboim-060459287)

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