Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Feb 19:10.1111/1471-0528.18083.
doi: 10.1111/1471-0528.18083. Online ahead of print.

Standardised Methods for Developing Conceptual Frameworks for Placental Disorders of Pregnancy: Pre-Eclampsia and Stillbirth

Terteel Elawad  1 , Mai-Lei Woo Kinshella  2 , Ellie Stokes  3 , Kelly Pickerill  2   4 , Elisa Dalle Piagge  5 , Marianne Vidler  2 , Ella Stanley  6 , Marie-Laure Volvert  7 , Jeffrey N Bone  2 , Helen Elwell  7 , Hiten D Mistry  8   9 , Violet Mateljan  10 , Eleni Tsigas  11 , Veronique Filippi  12 , Peter von Dadelszen  8 , Hannah Blencowe  12 , Laura A Magee  8 ; PRECISE Network
Affiliations

Standardised Methods for Developing Conceptual Frameworks for Placental Disorders of Pregnancy: Pre-Eclampsia and Stillbirth

Terteel Elawad et al. BJOG. .

Abstract

Background: Risk factors for the placental disorders of pregnancy (pre-eclampsia, fetal growth restriction, preterm birth, and stillbirth) are complex, frequently involving the interplay between clinical factors and wider social and environmental determinants of health. Biomarkers modulate the maternal and fetal responses to biological processes that underlie the development of placental disorders.

Objectives: To develop a standardised methodology to assess the importance of, and inter-relationships between, candidate risk factors for the various placental disorders.

Search strategy: Systematic searches were conducted using Medline, Embase, Health Technology Assessments, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Library databases, Google Scholar, and reference lists of retrieved papers.

Selection criteria: We deployed a hierarchy of reviews, systematic reviews, and cohort studies with at least 1000 participants (100 for biomarker studies), published in the prior decade.

Data collection and analysis: We assessed the strengths of association and quality of evidence linking risk factors with individual placental outcomes.

Conclusions: We have developed a standardised approach to assess the importance and inter-relatedness of putative risk factors for the placental disorders of pregnancy.

Keywords: conceptual framework; fetal growth restriction; placental disorders; preterm birth; pre‐eclampsia; stillbirth.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Hierarchical approach to data extraction.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Magee LA, Brown MA, Hall DR, et al. The 2021 International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy classification, diagnosis & management recommendations for international practice. Pregnancy Hypertension. 2022;27:148–169. - PubMed
    1. Magee LA, Nicolaides KH, von Dadelszen P. Preeclampsia. New England Journal of Medicine. 2022;386(19):1817–1832. - PubMed
    1. Tan MY, Wright D, Syngelaki A, et al. Comparison of Diagnostic Accuracy of Early Screening for Pre-Eclampsia by NICE Guidelines and a Method Combining Maternal Factors and Biomarkers: Results of SPREE. Ultrasound in Obstetrics & Gynecology. 2018;51(6):743–750. - PubMed
    1. Hiatt RA, Porco TC, Liu F, et al. A Multilevel Model of Post-menopausal Breast Cancer Incidence. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. 2014;23(10):2078–2092. - PubMed
    1. Elawad T, Scott G, Bone JN, et al. Risk factors for pre-eclampsia in clinical practice guidelines: Comparison with the evidence. BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology. 2024;131(1):46–62. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources