Folic Acid Supplementation Before Conception Reduces Prematurity

Thursday, January 31, 2008 11:41

Posted in category Pregnancy

We’ve known for decades that folic acid reduces the risk of neural tube defects, but now research on taking folic acid before pregnancy has revealed a new benefit. The largest study ever on pre-conception folic acid supplementation found that women who took folic acid supplements for at least a year prior to getting pregnant reduced their risk of having a preemie by at least 50%. Most importantly, the drop in very preterm deliveries (20-28 weeks) was 70%.

The study can’t be applied to all women, because it only examined singleton pregnancies, and excluded women with pre-eclampsia, hypertension or fetuses with congenital abnormalities. However, it should definitely give women more motivation to follow the March of Dimes recommendation that all women of child-bearing age should take a daily folic acid supplement.

For those of us contemplating post preemie pregnancies, I guess this another weapon in our arsenal against having another preterm birth.