Clinical Summary of U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation
This document is a summary of the 2009 recommendation of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on counseling and interventions to prevent tobacco use and tobacco-caused disease in adults and pregnant women. This summary is intended for use by primary care clinicians.
Select for copyright and source information.
This summary was first published in Annals of Internal
Medicine in May 2009 (Ann Intern Med 2009;150:629. http://www.annals.org).
| Population |
Women planning a pregnancy or capable of becoming
pregnant |
| Recommendation |
Take a daily vitamin supplement containing 0.4
to 0.8 mg (400 to 800 µg) of folic acid. |
| Grade: A |
| Risk Assessment |
Risk factors include:
- A personal or family history of a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect
- The use of certain antiseizure medications
- Mutations in folate-related enzymes
- Maternal diabetes
- Maternal obesity
Note: This recommendation does not apply to women who have had a previous pregnancy affected by neural tube defects or
women taking certain antiseizure medicines. These women may be advised to take higher doses of folic acid.
|
| Timing of Medication |
Start supplementation at least 1 month before conception.
Continue through first 2 to 3 months of pregnancy. |
| Recommendations of
Others |
ACOG, AAFP, and most other organizations recommend 4 mg/d
for women with a history of a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect. |
Note: AAFP = American Academy of Family Physicians; ACOG = American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
For a summary of the evidence systematically reviewed in making these recommendations, the full recommendation statement, and supporting documents,
please go to http://www.preventiveservices.ahrq.gov.
Disclaimer: Recommendations made by the USPSTF are independent of the U.S. government. They should not be construed as an official position of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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Copyright and Source Information
This document is in the public domain within the United States. For
information on reprinting, contact Randie Siegel, Associate Director, Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850.
Requests for linking or to incorporate content in electronic resources
should be sent to: info@ahrq.gov.
AHRQ Publication No. 09-05132-EF-3
Current as of May 2009
Internet Citation:
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Folic Acid for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Clinical Summary. AHRQ Publication No. 09-05132-EF-3,
May 2009. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD.
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstf09/folicacid/folicacidrs.htm
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850