Evidence synthesis reveals optimal clinical practices for folic acid use in women of childbearing age, highlighting key timing and dosage windows to prevent neural tube defects.
Key Points
To synthesize the best available evidence on folic acid supplementation for preventing neural tube defects in women of childbearing age to guide clinical practice.
Systematically searched 7 electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP) and 20 professional websites from January 1, 2013, to September 18, 2025.
Identified and appraised clinical practice guidelines, expert consensuses, and recommended practices, followed by rigorous quality assessment and data extraction.
Included 17 publications consisting of 8 clinical guidelines, 4 expert consensuses, and 5 recommended practices.
Synthesized 14 evidence statements across five key dimensions: neural tube defect risks and the role of folic acid, the closure time window, timing and dosage, dietary sources versus supplements, and folic acid-related testing.