Study finds folic acid use beneficial before pregnancy

DALLAS A study presented during the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine meeting last week found that women who take folic acid supplements for at least a year before becoming pregnant can greatly reduce their risk of delivering a baby prematurely, Reuters reported Thursday.

The study tracked about 35,000 pregnant women between 1999 and 2002 who disclosed their folic acid intake and found that women who took folic acid supplements for at least a year before pregnancy cut their chances for very early pre-term births, defined as births between 20 and 28 weeks into the pregnancy, by 70 percent compared with other women.

Women taking folic acid for at least a year before getting pregnant also saw their risk fall by about 50 percent for premature births occurring 28 to 32 weeks into the pregnancy.