Preeclampsia is a serious pregnancy complication that causes high blood pressure and can harm organs like the kidneys, liver, and brain. It affects thousands of pregnancies every year and remains one of the leading causes of illness and death for mothers and babies worldwide. Researchers are now exploring whether a protein called placental growth factor (PlGF) could help better predict, diagnose, and treat preeclampsia.

Placental growth factor is a protein produced by the placenta that helps blood vessels develop properly during pregnancy. In healthy pregnancies, PlGF levels rise as the placenta grows. However, in pregnancies affected by preeclampsia, PlGF levels tend to be much lower because the placenta does not develop normally. These lower levels may serve as an early warning sign that complications are developing.

Researchers in Toronto reviewed multiple studies examining how PlGF testing performs in clinical practice. They found that measuring PlGF levels can identify people who are at high risk for preeclampsia much more accurately than relying only on traditional risk factors like obesity, diabetes, age, or previous pregnancy complications. One striking result was how closely low PlGF levels were linked with early delivery: the analysis showed, 43% of people with low PlGF delivered their babies within two weeks of a low result, and 63% delivered within four weeks. By comparison, only about 1% of those with normal PlGF levels delivered during the same time frames. Not surprisingly, low PlGF was also tied to more pregnancy complications. In some cases, PlGF testing helped clinicians diagnose preeclampsia more than two days earlier than standard approaches.

Importantly, PlGF testing may be especially helpful because preeclampsia does not affect everyone in the same way. Some people have mild symptoms, while others develop serious complications for both them and their babies. In fact, scientists are starting to recognize that there isn’t just one type of preeclampsia; there appear to be at least two main patterns, or phenotypes. Right now, doctors often use the same medicines for everyone, even though these medicines work in different ways. The hope is that PlGF testing could help doctors spot which type a person has, so treatment can be more personalized and potentially more effective.

For patients, this research suggests that a simple blood test could someday help doctors recognize preeclampsia earlier, identify those at greatest risk, and make more informed decisions about monitoring and treatment. Earlier detection could potentially reduce complications, improve pregnancy outcomes, and provide better long-term cardiovascular care for women who experience preeclampsia.

Take Home Message: Placental growth factor testing represents a promising new tool for pregnancy care. Additional research is needed in the U.S. and Canada to determine how best to incorporate this test into routine prenatal care and whether early identification of low PlGF levels can improve long-term outcomes for both mothers and babies.

Citation: Snelgrove JW. Rethinking Preeclampsia: How Placental Growth Factor Is Transforming Diagnosis and Management. J Obstet Gynaecol Can. 2026 Jul;48(7):103396. doi: 10.1016/j.jogc.2026.103396. Epub 2026 May 20. PMID: 42155897. Rethinking Preeclampsia: How Placental Growth Factor Is Transforming Diagnosis and Management - PubMed