NIPT Test Could Also Predict Preterm Birth and Preeclampsia Risk
Researchers at UZ Leuven and KU Leuven have discovered that the widely-used Non-Invasive Prenatal Test (NIPT) — a blood test already taken by more than 90% of pregnant women in Belgium — can also signal the risk of preterm birth and preeclampsia. The findings, published in the scientific journal Science Translational Medicine, could significantly expand the diagnostic value of the existing test and improve early detection of pregnancy complications.
A New Dimension to an Existing Test
The NIPT is a blood test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus, such as Down syndrome (trisomy 21), Edwards syndrome (trisomy 18), and Patau syndrome (trisomy 13). Belgium was the first country to fully reimburse the test in 2017, and it has since become deeply integrated into prenatal care.
“We have now discovered that with this test we can not only learn something about the fetus and its genetics, but also about the pregnancy itself,” said Professor Dr. Joris Vermeesch, geneticist at UZ Leuven and KU Leuven, in an interview with VRT NWS. “We can also detect certain pregnancy complications by looking at the DNA fragments.”
The Fragmentome Approach
The researchers analyzed what is known as the “fragmentome” — the physical characteristics and patterns of cell-free DNA fragments circulating in the blood. By examining nearly 2,000 blood samples taken during the first trimester of pregnancy, they developed a computer model that could predict with high accuracy which women would develop pregnancy complications, even before any symptoms appeared.
The model was successfully validated with an independent group of patients from Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg, a hospital in the Belgian province of Limburg.
Targeting High-Risk Pregnancies
The research specifically focused on women with autoimmune diseases such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, or Crohn’s disease, who face an elevated risk of pregnancy complications. In Belgium, approximately 10% of pregnant women have an autoimmune disease, and 1-5% of them require more intensive monitoring.
At the beginning of pregnancy, these women often have no symptoms, and risks are not visible in classic blood tests. This has meant that at-risk patients do not always receive timely, adapted care.
“Thanks to this research, we know for certain that we can also extract important information from the same blood draw used for the NIPT to predict pregnancy complications,” Vermeesch said in a UZ Leuven press release. “By analyzing the fragmentome in those blood samples, we can see early on which pregnancies need extra monitoring.”
Clinical Implications
The ability to predict complications early could enable doctors to intervene more quickly. “Doctors can intervene more quickly, for example by starting a low dose of aspirin in time to slow down preeclampsia, by administering targeted therapy, or by referring a pregnant woman to a specialized university hospital,” Vermeesch explained.
Preeclampsia, also known as pregnancy-induced hypertension, affects 2-3% of all pregnancies and can lead to serious complications including preterm birth, organ damage, and in rare cases, maternal or fetal death. Early detection could significantly reduce these risks through timely intervention.
The research builds on earlier work by the same team showing that NIPT blood samples could also detect early-stage cancers in pregnant women. As La Libre reported, the researchers view this new analysis method as a promising “NIPT 2.0.”
A Path to Clinical Practice
The researchers emphasize that this is an important scientific step, but the analysis is not yet used in hospital practice. UZ Leuven is currently working on a trajectory to implement the method within two to three years.
By adding the new technology to existing NIPT laboratory infrastructure, doctors could in the future easily integrate the test into daily prenatal care. The KU Leuven research team had previously demonstrated in 2024 that cell-free DNA analysis could detect various cancers and pregnancy complications, laying the groundwork for this latest breakthrough.
Earlier research from 2023, led by KU Leuven professor Bernard Thienpont, had already shown that preeclampsia risk could be detected through blood DNA analysis, as NOS reported at the time. The new 2026 study goes further by analyzing fragmentome patterns in nearly 2,000 samples and specifically focusing on women with autoimmune diseases.
What to Watch For
As UZ Leuven works toward clinical implementation, the coming years will be critical for validating the method on a broader scale and integrating it into standard prenatal care. If successful, the NIPT could evolve from a test that screens for fetal chromosomal abnormalities into a comprehensive tool for monitoring overall pregnancy health — potentially transforming prenatal care not just in Belgium, but globally.
For the approximately 10% of pregnant women in Belgium with autoimmune diseases, this could mean earlier detection, faster intervention, and ultimately safer pregnancies.