In addition to the physiological condition of the mother, the number of births carried to term and presence of more than one child in the womb at once (multiple gestation) also greatly affect the chances of developing preeclampsia. Unfortunately, the effects of preeclampsia are not always as shorted lived as the condition, women that experience preeclampsia are at an increasing risk for long term hypertension, ischemic heart disease, kidney disease, and possible strokes and venous thromboembolisms (2). Children who experience preeclampsia in the womb are also placed at risk for many future health complications as adults, again many of which overlap with that of those characterized by preterm births, including high blood pressure and diabetes.
The etiology of preeclampsia is complex but thought to be caused by abnormal placental development. During the implantation stage of the blastocyst, the trophoblast cells on the outside of the embryo attach to the endometrial lining of the uterus and the embryo begins to work its way into the endometrium (3). Shortly after