Daily oral iron supplementation during pregnancy.

Study answer

What this study found

Daily iron supplementation during pregnancy reduces risk of low birthweight and maternal anaemia/iron deficiency. In 11 trials (8,480 women) low birthweight <2500 g occurred in 8.4% of infants in the iron group versus 10.2% in controls (RR 0.81). Mean birthweight was higher by about 31 g (MD 30.81 g). Maternal anaemia at term (<110 g/L) reduced from 35.71% to 13.06% (RR 0.30); maternal iron deficiency at term reduced (RR 0.43). Iron supplementation also increased side effects, especially at doses above 60 mg daily; higher Hb concentrations during pregnancy and postpartum were observed;…

Study & population

Randomized and quasi-randomized trials evaluating daily oral iron, with or without folic acid or other micronutrients, during pregnancy.

Intervention

Daily oral iron supplementation during pregnancy; 60 mg elemental iron per day with 400 micrograms of folic acid daily; started as early as possible after conception (no later than 3 months) and continued for the rest of pregnancy; if six months of supplementation cannot be achieved during pregnancy, continue…

Key limitation

Heterogeneity across trials; several trials at risk of bias; variable dosing and formulations; inconsistent outcome reporting; substantial attrition in some studies; settings include malaria-endemic and non-endemic areas and various co-interventions, limiting generalizability.

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Original abstract