Abstract
Serum folate levels were determined by a radio-isotopic assay method and then analysed in 253 normal full-term pregnant women. None of them had received any hema-tonic during their whole pregnancy period. Their mean age was 27.72 years and the mean pregnancy duration was 39.50 weeks. Mean hemoglobin concentration in these normally pregnant women was 12.54 g%. Mean serum folate was 8.57 nglml. In this study, 7.51% (19 out of the 2531 of the normally pregnant women had a folate level <3 nglml, and only 2 of them had clinical anemia (Hb <11 g%), and one of them also had serum ferritin <12 ngiml. Thus pure folic acid deficiency anemia in pregnant women may be very rare in Chinese. Neither rnultiparity, age, nor gravida number played any role in the occurrence of folate deficiency. There would appear to be a slight positive relationship between folate levels and hemoglobin concentration in pregnant Chinese women.