Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Dec;128(6):324-7.
doi: 10.1590/s1516-31802010000600003.

Evaluation of calcium and folic acid supplementation in prenatal care in São Paulo

Camila Atallah Pontes da Silva  1 , Carolina Atallah Pontes da Silva, Álvaro Nagib Atallah, Nelson Sass, Eliane Terezinha Rocha Mendes, Sérgio Peixoto
Affiliations

Evaluation of calcium and folic acid supplementation in prenatal care in São Paulo

Camila Atallah Pontes da Silva et al. Sao Paulo Med J. 2010 Dec.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Context and objective: Preeclampsia and neural tube defects can be prevented during pregnancy. Today, there is level I evidence showing that calcium supplementation during pregnancy may prevent preeclampsia and that use of folic acid may prevent neural tube defects. The aim here was to evaluate the proportion of patients undergoing prenatal follow-up who had received a prescription for calcium and/or folic acid supplementation, and their adherence to the use of these two substances.

Design and setting: Cross-sectional study at two hospitals in the Greater São Paulo region, Brazil (Faculdade de Medicina da Fundação ABC, Santo André, and "Dr. Mário de Moraes Altenfelder Silva" Municipal Teaching and Maternity Hospital, Vila Nova Cachoeirinha).

Methods: Early primigravidae, late primigravidae and pregnant women with chronic hypertension, diabetes mellitus or kidney disease who had already had their first prenatal consultation were included.

Results: Out of 250 pregnant women interviewed, 10.40% had received a prescription for calcium supplementation and 80.76% of them reported taking it in tablet form. Regarding folic acid, 48% of the women said that they had received a prescription for this and 64.16% reported that they had started to use it during the periconceptional period.

Conclusions: Calcium supplementation and periconceptional use of folic acid seem not to be prescribed routinely by physicians. This should motivate the implementation of educational programs for obstetricians on the use of interventions based on the best available evidence.

CONTEXTO E OBJETIVO:: Pré-eclâmpsia e defeitos no tubo neural podem ser prevenidas na gravidez. Atualmente há evidência de nível I de que a suplementação de cálcio durante a gestação pode prevenir pré-eclâmpsia, e que o uso de ácido fólico pode prevenir defeitos no tubo neural. O objetivo foi avaliar a proporção de pacientes em acompanhamento de pré-natal que recebem prescrição de suplementação de cálcio e/ou ácido fólico, bem como a proporção das pacientes prescritas que aderem ao uso das duas substâncias.

TIPO DE ESTUDO E LOCAL:: Estudo transversal em dois hospitais da grande São Paulo (Faculdade de Medicina da Fundação ABC, Santo André, e Hospital Municipal Maternidade Escola “Dr. Mário de Moraes Altenfelder Silva”, Vila Nova Cachoeirinha).

MÉTODOS:: Foram incluídas primigestas precoces e tardias e gestantes hipertensas crônicas, e/ou com diabetes mellitus e nefropatas com a primeira consulta de pré-natal já realizada.

RESULTADOS:: Das 250 gestantes entrevistadas, 10,4% receberam prescrição de suplementação de cálcio, sendo que 80,76% responderam fazer uso de cálcio na forma de comprimidos. Em relação ao ácido fólico, 48% responderam ter recebido prescrição de suplementos contendo a substância, sendo que 64.16% começaram o uso dentro do período periconcepcional.

CONCLUSÕES:: A suplementação de cálcio e o uso periconcepcional de ácido fólico parecem não ser prescritos de forma rotineira pelos médicos, o que deve motivar a adoção de programas educacionais para obstetras sobre a utilização de intervenções baseadas na melhor evidência disponível.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: Not declared

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Cunningham GG, Leveno KJ, Bloom SL, et al. Hypertensive disorders in pregnancy. In: Cunningham GG, Leveno KJ, Bloom SL, et al., editors. William's obstetrics. 22nd edition. Philadelphia: McGraw-Hill; 2005. pp. 761–808.
    1. Khan KS, Wojdyla D, Say L, Gülmezoglu AM, Van Look PF. WHO analysis of causes of maternal death: a systematic review. Lancet. 2006;367(9516):1066–1074. - PubMed
    1. Ramos JG, Brietzke E, Martins-Costa SH, et al. Reported calcium intake is reduced in women with preeclampsia. Hypertens Pregnancy. 2006;25(3):229–239. - PubMed
    1. Belizán JM, Villar J, Repke J. The relationship between calcium intake and pregnancy-induced hypertension: up-to-date evidence. Am J Obstet Gynecol. 1988;158(4):898–902. - PubMed
    1. Villar J, Belizan JM, Fischer PJ. Epidemiologic observations on the relationship between calcium intake and eclampsia. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 1983;21(4):271–278. - PubMed