Skip to main content

USPSTF Recommends Folic Acid Supplement Before, During Pregnancy

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Aug. 1, 2023 -- The U.S Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends folic acid supplementation for people planning to or who could become pregnant. These recommendations form the basis of a final recommendation statement published in the Aug. 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Meera Viswanathan, Ph.D., from RTI International-University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Evidence-based Practice Center, and colleagues conducted a systematic review of the new evidence on the benefits and harms of folic acid supplementation for prevention of neural tube defects. Data were included from 12 observational studies reported in 13 publications, with 1,244,072 participants. The researchers found that one cohort study reported a significantly reduced risk for neural tube defects associated with folic acid supplementation taken before, during, and before and during pregnancy (adjusted relative risks, 0.54, 0.62, and 0.49, respectively); this association was seen in the later of two study periods (2006 to 2013 but not 1999 to 2005). No other significant benefits were reported. There were no reports of significant harms associated with pregnancy-related folic acid exposure.

Based on these findings, the USPSTF concludes there is a high certainty that folic acid supplementation has a substantial net benefit for preventing neural tube defects in offspring. Consequently, the USPSTF recommends a daily supplement containing 0.4 to 0.8 mg of folic acid for all persons planning to or who could become pregnant (A recommendation).

"The Task Force continues to underscore the importance of taking a daily supplement containing folic acid before and during early pregnancy to help protect the health of babies," task force member Katrina Donahue, M.D., M.P.H., said in a statement.

Evidence Report

Final Recommendation Statement

Editorial 1 (subscription or payment may be required)

Editorial 2 (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted August 2023

Read this next

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, May 17-19

The annual meeting of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists was held from May 17 to 19 in San Francisco and was attended by more than 4,000 clinicians...

Epidural Analgesia Linked to Decline in Severe Maternal Morbidity

FRIDAY, May 24, 2024 -- Epidural analgesia during labor is associated with a reduction in severe maternal morbidity (SMM), according to a study published online May 22 in The...

Prenatal Exposure to Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals Affects Child's Metabolic Health

FRIDAY, May 24, 2024 -- Prenatal exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) is associated with adverse metabolic health in children, according to a study published online...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.