Premium
Folate Status in Pregnant Chinese Women in Hong Kong
Author(s) -
Tso S. C.,
Wong R. L. C.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1002/j.1879-3479.1980.tb00498.x
Subject(s) - medicine , pregnancy , folic acid , obstetrics , red cell , physiology , gynecology , biology , genetics
Hematologic and folate studies were carried out in 116 pregnant Chinese women in Hong Kong. Mean serum folate values fell progressively with pregnancy reaching subnormal levels during the puerperium. Mean red‐cell folate values remained normal or high throughout, but showed a significant fall after delivery in women who carried out breast‐feeding. Individually, 18 women showed hematologic abnormalities compatible with folate deficiency, but only four had subnormal red‐cell folate values satisfying the strict criterion of folate deficiency, giving an overall frequency of 3.4%. Compared to primigravidae and other multiparae, gravida 2 women appeared to be at highest risk of folate deficiency.