Care Providers

Given the impact and sometimes confusing presentation of preeclampsia, there is an ongoing need to spread awareness and improve understanding about the condition – even within the medical community.

Patient Education
All pregnancies are at risk of preeclampsia. Yet some healthcare providers may overlook symptoms that suggest preeclampsia because they are also hallmarks of a normal pregnancy, or their patients may not report symptoms for fear of over-reacting. Something as simple as a headache could be a symptom of underlying and life-threatening preeclampsia.

Our research shows that fewer than one-half of well-educated women are informed of the signs and symptoms of preeclampsia and yet, in many settings, the expectant mother or somebody close to her could be the first responder to any symptoms. These findings do not bode well for women with lower literacy or who do not receive regular prenatal care. The Preeclampsia Foundation urges health care providers to ensure they and their patients properly understand the signs of preeclampsia.  Only through adequate knowledge and diligent follow through, can we move women to care earlier and thus alleviate the worst of the adverse outcomes.

To that purpose, the Preeclampsia Foundation offers free patient education materials in our Marketplace to increase provider access to thorough and scientifically-vetted patient education materials.

Provider Education
Diagnostic criteria and management practices vary across the globe based on availability of resources, diversity amongst expert opinions, and development of country-specific guidelines.  We hope you will find the resources on this page informative and helpful, and recommend you share them as appropriate with your colleagues and patients. Inclusion of these materials does not constitute an endorsement on the part of the Preeclampsia Foundation, although every effort has been made to include materials that have been most widely accepted by professional medical societies.

Professional Lectures

Heart of a Woman: Pregnancy and Beyond
The following three lectures (audio and corresponding PowerPoint) were originally presented during a Continuing Medical Education (CME) seminar held in San Francisco in October 2006.  They were subsequently available for online professional education and CME credit through an arrangement between the Foundation and the University of Minnesota School of Medicine.

Although CME credit is no longer available, the presentations continue to provide valuable information for healthcare professionals and the general public alike to learn more about preeclampsia.

Please view, learn, and share these links with friends and colleagues.

Lecture 1: Heart of a Woman: Pregnancy & Beyond – Thomas R. Easterling, MD, Professor of Maternal Fetal Medicine at the University of Washington, Seattle WA. Click here:

Lecture 2: Management, Treatment and Case Study of Preeclampsia - Michael Katz, MD, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California, San Francisco, CA. Click here:

Lecture 3: Preeclampsia and Heart Disease - Tanya Melnik, MD, Assistant Professor of the Department of Medicine at the University of Minnesota.. Minneapolis. MN. Click here: