Daily oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.

Study answer

What this study found

Iron supplementation significantly reduced maternal anaemia and iron deficiency, increased birth weight, and decreased low birth weight infants. However, it was associated with higher reports of side effects, particularly at doses of 60 mg of iron or higher.

Study & population

Sixty trials involving over 27,402 women were included, focusing on the effects of iron supplementation on maternal and infant health outcomes.

Intervention

Daily oral iron supplementation for pregnant women, either alone or in conjunction with folic acid or other vitamins and minerals.

Key limitation

High heterogeneity in some outcomes, varying quality of included studies, and potential biases such as lack of blinding.

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Original abstract