Liver stiffness reversibly increases during pregnancy and independently predicts preeclampsia

Figure 2 Liver stiffness increased almost exclusively in the third trimester of normal pregnancy. A: Mean LS as a function of gestational week (9 to 42) of healthy pregnant women without pregnancy complications. Displayed is the mean LS for every gestational week with 95% confidence bands from standard deviation and the nonlinear regression function from a Boltzmann fit with y = 7.0 - 2.67 × (1/(1 + exp((gest.week - 32)/3.7))). From gestational week 26 on LS starts to increase and settles at a plateau of 6.7 kPa at week 39. B: LS in healthy pregnant women without pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia or intrahepatic cholestasis dependent on the trimester of pregnancy where the measurement took place. LS is significantly increased in women in the third trimester of pregnancy compared to women in the first or second trimester. No significant difference between LS in the first and second trimester was observed. LS: Liver stiffness. ^aP < 0.05; ^bP < 0.01; ^cP < 0.001.