The Issue

There’s a simple screening that can catch serious pregnancy complications early before things become dangerous.

It’s done between 11 and 13 weeks of pregnancy and includes:

• A blood test (PlGF, sometimes PAPP-A)

• A uterine artery Doppler ultrasound

 

These tests help doctors see how well the placenta is working and whether someone is at risk for:

• Preeclampsia (especially early-onset, which can be life‑threatening)

• HELLP Syndrome 

• Eclampsia 

• Fetal growth restriction (IUGR)

• Placental insufficiency

• Placental abruption

• Stillbirth

• Other placenta‑related complications 

These tests are already used here in the U.S.

But they’re not part of standard prenatal care.

 

They might be offered if you’re already considered high risk

and by the time you’re labeled that, the problem may have already started. That’s backwards. This screening is meant to catch risks before they become emergencies.

When we know a mom is high risk early enough, there’s over a 60% chance of carrying to full term with the right care and interventions. That chance changes everything.

 

This screening is being used here in the U.S. by some providers

but most families never hear about it. This kind of care shouldn’t be something you only get if you know what to ask for.

It should be routine for everyone.

 

Why It Matters

 

When I was 28 weeks pregnant, something didn’t feel right.

I was told it was normal.

But it wasn’t.

 

By the time anyone realized what was happening, it was almost too late. My daughter was born in an emergency. I didn’t get to hold her for 8 days. She spent 3 months in the NICU, fighting to survive.

She had to fight for something she should’ve been protected from.

A simple screening might have caught the warning signs weeks earlier. But no one ever mentioned it. That’s what breaks me.

This didn’t have to happen.

She deserved better. Every baby does.

This Screening Is Real. And It’s Working.

It’s already being used here in the U.S. It’s not new. It’s not experimental. It works.

But because it’s not routine, families aren’t just facing emergencies they’re experiencing trauma that could’ve been prevented.

This isn’t just about survival. 
It’s about giving families a chance to act before everything falls apart.

 

We Already Screen for Less Accurate Conditions

Right now, gestational diabetes screening is standard in the U.S. 

even though that test has a false‑positive rate of up to 85%.

 

By comparison, first‑trimester preeclampsia screening has a false‑positive rate of about 10%

and can detect serious complications months earlier.

 

So why is the less accurate test required,

while this one isn’t mentioned?

 

The Solution

We’re asking for something simple and life‑saving:

 

Make first‑trimester preeclampsia screening standard care for every pregnancy in the U.S.

That means:

• A PlGF blood test (sometimes with PAPP‑A)

• A uterine artery Doppler ultrasound

• Done between 11 and 13 weeks

 

Early screening gives families:

• More time to intervene

• A better chance for babies to stay in the womb longer

• Time to prepare and make informed decisions

• Fewer emergency births, NICU stays, and devastating outcomes

• moms a chance to carry their babies safely 

Sign the petition. Share this message.

Let’s stop calling these complications “rare.”

Let’s stop calling them “unpreventable.”

And let’s make sure no parent ever has to say,

“What if we had known sooner?”