title: The risk of menstrual abnormalities after preconceptional use of folic acid or a folic acid-containing multivitamin in Chinese women.
abstract: The associations of preconceptional folic acid use with menstruation-related changes were examined by a retrospective study through 219 questionnaires. The kind of folic acid (alone or with other vitamins), the using time and frequency, the menstrual regularity, the cycle length before and after use, and other menstruation-related changes after use were obtained. Two hundred of 219 participants were users, and menstruation-related changes occurred in 32 women, with abnormalities of involvement being longer cycles (increase of 3-20 days, 7.7 ± 4.8 days), shorter cycles (decrease of 3-7 days, 5.7 ± 2.3 days), irregular cycles, less blood loss, bleeding or spotting between cycles, and algomenorrhea. Seventeen women stopped using folic acid or folic acid-containing multivitamin, and sixteen of the seventeen women experienced at least one menstruation before conception. Fifteen of sixteen women found complete recovery, indicating the high possibility that these changes were attributed to the use of folic acid or folic acid-containing multivitamin.
authors.affiliation: a Safety Assessment and Research Center for Drug, Pesticide and Veterinary Drug of Jiangsu Province, School of Public Health , Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , Jiangsu , China.
authors.forename: Lianlian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , Jiangsu , China.
authors.forename: Zhiping
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: c Department of Urology , The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , Jiangsu , China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: a Safety Assessment and Research Center for Drug, Pesticide and Veterinary Drug of Jiangsu Province, School of Public Health , Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing , Jiangsu , China.
authors.forename: Yubang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008597:Menstrual Cycle / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008599:Menstruation Disturbances / Q000139:chemically induced*; D016742:Preconception Care; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D005492:Folic Acid
keywords: Adverse effects; folic acid; menstruation; reproduction; women