There are a ton of things to worry about when you’re expecting, but remembering to take an iron pill every single day doesn’t need to be one of them: Taking an iron-folic acid supplement just twice a week—instead of daily—leads to an equally healthy birth weight, growth rate, and possibly even improved cognitive development, suggests a new study published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
Researchers at the University of Melbourne in Australia asked more than 1,000 pregnant women in Vietnam to take either daily iron-folic acid supplements, twice-weekly iron-folic acid supplements, or twice-weekly iron-folic acid supplements plus micronutrients. They then measured the baby’s birth weight, how much he or she had grown at six months, and his or her cognitive development at the same time.
While birth weights and growth rates were similar across all groups, cognitive development scores were actually higher for the infants whose mothers took the supplements twice a week. Plus, the women who took the supplements twice a week were more likely to take them consistently than those who took them daily.
Iron is key for getting enough oxygen to both you and your baby, and this can affect fetal development, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Yale University School of Medicine. Plus, not having enough iron in your blood can make you feel more fatigued, which is a big bummer since pregnancy is already pretty tiring.
That said, the supply of iron in your blood doesn’t fluctuate much from day to day, says Minkin, and the results of this study suggest that cutting back to twice-weekly supplements may not have much impact on your overall iron blood count—or, apparently, on the health of your child.
And as for folic acid? While slashing your intake of the nutrient may not have had any impact on the outcomes measured in the study, Minkin strongly suggests continuing to take supplements for it daily since getting the recommended .4 milligrams each day helps protect your child against neural defects like spina bifida.
One important thing to remember: How much iron you need while you’re pregnant can vary from woman to woman, says Minkin, and can also depend on whether or not you were iron-deficient going into the pregnancy. So whether you’re already pregnant or trying to be, it’s best to talk to your doctor to find out just how much iron you need to be taking—whether it’s from daily supplements or a less frequent dosage.
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