Iron and folic acid supplementation strategies during pregnancy and adverse pregnancy outcomes in Botswana

PROJECT SUMMARY Background. The risk of stillbirth, preterm delivery, low birthweight and other adverse pregnancy outcomes is extremely high in Sub-Saharan African countries including Botswana, especially among HIV-positive women. Daily iron and folic acid supplementation during pregnancy could reduce adverse pregnancy outcomes by

reducing maternal anemia. However, the effectiveness of supplementation in subgroups defined by HIV status, anemia, gestational age, and other clinical, demographic and geographic factors remains unknown and compliance with supplementation guidelines is variable (