Evaluation of the effect of folic acid supplementation during early pregnancy on reducing the risk of postpartum abnormal psychological states
Cong Jing
Chen Wenxi
Pu Danhua
Cai Wen
Zhou Wenjie
Lu Yajun
Chai Mengqian
Ge Huan
Wu Jie
Abstract：Objective To investigate the effect of timing and dosage of folic acid(FA)supplementation on abnormal postpar-tum mental state(APMS).Methods A total of 1,170 women at 6-8 weeks postpartum who visited our hospital from Oc-tober 2021 to October 2022 were enrolled and assigned to five groups based on FA supplementation timing and dosage.Ma-ternal demographics,obstetric history,family/environmental factors,and FA supplementation data were collected via ques-tionnaires.Psychological statu was assessed using the Self-Reporting Symptom Checklist-90(SCL-90).Logistic regression and chi-square test were applied to analyze the impact of FA supplementation during pregnancy on APMS.Results FA supplementation during pregnancy(including early or entire pregnancy)significantly reduced the risk of postpartum mood disorders(PMD)(RR=0.33,95%CI:0.20-0.54,P=0.000)and seven dimension factors of SCL-90.Early preg-nancy FA supplementation demonstrated greater efficacy in reducing PMD risk compared to full-term supplementation(RR=0.48,95%CI:0.27-0.86,P=0.013).Supplementation with 0.4 mg or 0.8 mg FA during pregnancy significantly reduced PMD and related SCL-90 factor risk,with no statistical difference between dose(P>0.05).Both primiparous and multiparous women showed significantly reduced risks of PMD and SCL-90 factors after FA supplementation(early or full-term).Primiparous women exhibited greater PMD risk reduction with early pregnancy FA supplementation versus full-term supplementation,while multiparous women showed no significant difference(P>0.05).Conclusion FA supplementation during pregnancy effectively prevents APMS,with early pregnancy supplementation in primiparous women yielding more pronounced preventive effects.
Keywords：Folic acidAbnormal postpartum mental statePostpartum mood disordersSymptom Checklist-90
Publication Date：2024-12-20
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-15(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：9( 34-42 )