Maternal weight gain and micronutrient intake in the prospective birth cohort PRINCE

Objective: Pregnancy related weight gain can affect the immediate and future health of a women and their offspring. Micronutrient supplementation is though to have beneficial effects on fetal growth and development as well as maternal health. Clinical guidelines currently recommend iron and folic acid supplementation although there is insufficient national data on dietary intake during pregnancy. Methods: The prospective PRINCE cohort (Prenatal Determinants of Children's Health) investigates the relationship between maternal stress and postnatal health. 200 low risk pregnant women received ultrasound examinations at gestational week 24, 30 and 36, maternal weight and hight. Dietary intake was assessed using a 24-hour recall in each trimester. Results: We could show that our participans have significantly lower dietary intake in Folic acid, Iron and Vitamin D than the national guidelines recommend and only 40% gain weight according to international guidelines for the different BMI Categories. Conclusion: We conclude that most women of our study did not comply to national dietary guidelines regarding dietary intake during the pregnancy, micronutrient intake or pregnancy related weight gain. This should be taken into account when counseling patients prenatally.