Huge Drop in Preterm Birth-Risk Among Women Taking Folic Acid One Year Before ...(beforepregnancy and continuing into the ...),Health

Date:1/31/2008

before pregnancy and continuing into the first trimester helps prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, such as spina bifida," said Alan R. Fleischman, M.D., senior vice president and medical director of the March of Dimes. "Now Dr. Bukowski's research makes us optimistic that taking folic acid for at least one year before pregnancy also may greatly reduce the risk of premature birth. These findings add even greater weight to March of Dimes support for the U.S. Public Health Service's long-standing recommendation that every woman of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. We hope this new research also will spur more health care professionals to urge their female patients to make folic acid part of their daily routine as a simple step toward having a healthy baby in the future."

"In addition to its benefits in preventing pregnancy complications, previous studies have suggested that folic acid may also have beneficial effects in preventing stroke and cardiovascular disease in adults," said Katharine Wenstrom, M.D., president of the SMFM, "That's why everyone -- men and women -- should get into the habit of taking it."

Today's abstract, Preconceptional Folate Prevents Preterm Delivery, represents the first and largest U.S. study to look at the effects of pre-conceptional folate supplementation on early preterm delivery. It is the fifth study by SMFM members to be honored by the March of Dimes for honing the tools used in the fight against prematurity. The March of Dimes conducts a National Prematurity Campaign aimed at raising awareness and reducing the growing rate of premature births.

The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (est. 1977) is a non-profit membership group for obstetricians/gynecologists who have additional formal education and training in maternal-fetal medicine. The society is devoted to reducing high-risk pregnancy complications by continuously educating its 2000 members on the lates
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SOURCE March of Dimes Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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