HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by de Weerd, S. Articles by Steegers, E. A. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by de Weerd, S. Articles by Steegers, E. A. P.

Preconception Counseling Improves Folate Status of Women Planning Pregnancy

From the Departments of Chemical Endocrinology; Obstetrics and Gynecology; and Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University Medical Center Nijmegen, Nijmegen; and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Rotterdam, Rotterdam, Netherlands.

Address reprint requests to: Eric A. P. Steegers, MD, PhD, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Rotterdam, P.O. Box 2040, 3000 CA Rotterdam, Netherlands; E-mail: eapsteegers{at}gyna.azr.nl.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether counseling women planning pregnancy to start or continue folic acid supplementation improves folate status.

METHODS: Women and their partners reported folic acid supplement intake in a preconceptional health questionnaire, and the women were categorized as reported "users" or "nonusers" of supplements before counseling. The use of periconceptional folic acid was addressed at a subsequent preconceptional consultation. Differences between reported supplement users and nonusers before counseling as well as between assumed users and nonusers of folic acid (with precounseling red cell and serum folate levels above and below 590 nmol/L and 20 nmol/L, respectively) were analyzed.

RESULTS: A total of 111 (66%) of 168 eligible women participated. Estimated mean red cell folate levels of women who reported no use of folic acid supplements before counseling increased significantly after 4 months from 540 nmol/L to 680 nmol/L. Red cell folate levels of women who reported taking supplements (44%) remained stable up to 1 year after counseling. Women with low precounseling folate levels showed a highly significant mean increase in red cell folate from 475 nmol/L to 689 nmol/L 4 months after counseling.

CONCLUSION: Addressing periconceptional folic acid use at a preconceptional consultation improves folate status among women planning to conceive.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				F. A. Poppelaars, M. C Cornel, and L. P ten Kate Current practice and future interest of GPs and prospective parents in pre-conception care in The Netherlands Fam. Pract., June 1, 2004; 21(3): 307 - 309. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. A. Cleves, C. A. Hobbs, H. B. Collins, N. Andrews, L. N. Smith, and J. M. Robbins Folic Acid Use by Women Receiving Routine Gynecologic Care Obstet. Gynecol., April 1, 2004; 103(4): 746 - 753. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. N. Alozie Arole, K. S. Puder, M. Reznar, E. Eby, and B.-P. Zhu Folic Acid Awareness in Michigan, 1996-1999 Obstet. Gynecol., November 1, 2003; 102(5): 1046 - 1050. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]