DETAILS FOR THIS REVIEW

Study Population: Five trials with 984 pregnant participants, conducted in low- or middle-income countries of Bangladesh, Croatia, South Africa (two trials), and India; most of the patients were 18 to 35 years of age, although not all trials reported participant age; sample sizes ranged from 82 to 366 participants

Efficacy End Points: Primary maternal outcomes: anemia, vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, spontaneous abortion or miscarriage (less than 20 weeks' gestational age); primary child outcomes: low birth weight (less than 2,500 g [5.5 lbs]), preterm birth (less than 37 weeks' gestation), neural tube defects, cognitive function

Harm End Points: Unknown

Narrative: Pregnant patients are one of the highest risk populations for vitamin B₁₂ deficiency, which has been identified as a risk factor for several adverse outcomes of pregnancy, including preterm delivery and low-birth-weight infants.^1,2

Oral vitamin B₁₂ supplementation is a simple, inexpensive, and potentially safe intervention to help reduce adverse outcomes of pregnancy, and the effectiveness of oral supplementation for vitamin B₁₂ deficiency outside the perinatal period is well established.³