Periconceptional Iron Supplementation in Rural Bangladesh

In 2007, the National Strategy for Anemia Prevention and Control in Bangladesh included adolescents and newly married women as target groups for future iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation programs. This double-blinded RCT examined the effect of daily periconceptional IFA vs. folic acid (FA) on anemia and iron indictors before and during pregnancy among married, nulliparous women in rural Bangladesh. Biochemical indices were collected at baseline and either at 15 weeks gestation or after 9 months among non-pregnant women (NPW).

Inclusion criteria

Women were eligible if they were:

• Married
• Nulliparous
• < 40 years old
• Living in the same household as their husband

Exclusion criteria

Women were excluded if they were:

• Pregnant at enrollment
• Planning to move out of the region
• Using iron supplements within the previous 3 months
• Using an implant form of birth control, or had surgery to prevent pregnancy
• Women with a Hb concentration of < 70 g/L, defined as severely anemic according to WHO definition (5), were excluded from the study and appropriately treated