Kathy Kluver

Kathy Kluver is a professor at Stellenbosch University who studies preeclampsia.

Prescribing conventional blood pressure medicine is risky because it may also reduce blood flow to the baby.

Now, Kluver and her team are testing a new drug at Tigerburg Hospital in Cape Town that appears to reduce the mother's blood pressure while also improving blood flow to the womb.

The researchers say there's still more to learn about how the drug works and whether it can keep mothers pregnant for longer.

For NPR News, I'm Ari Daniel.