A researcher at the University of Vermont is trying to figure out why 5 to 10 percent of previously healthy women develop high blood pressure during the second half of pregnancy, leading to a dangerous condition known as pre-eclampsia that can be life-threatening for both the mother and her baby.
Right now, the only way to treat pre-eclampsia is to deliver the infant, which results in premature and low birth-weight babies.
University of Vermont researcher Dr. Ira Bernstein is conducting studies to solve the long-standing mystery as to exactly what causes pre-eclampsia, but he says the indicators for the disease are clear.
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