Antenatal Care Strategies to Improve Perinatal and Newborn Outcomes

Background: Antenatal care strategies (ANC) play a pivotal role in ensuring a healthy gestational period for expectant mothers and promote optimal outcomes for their babies. Implementing these interventions can contribute to a supportive environment for pregnant women, resulting in positive perinatal and neonatal outcomes.

Summary: We summarize evidence for a total of twenty-seven interventions pertaining to ANC from Every Newborn Series published in The Lancet 2014 by identifying the most recent systematic reviews, extracting data from each review, and conducting a subgroup analysis for low-income and lower-middle-income countries (LMICs) for outcomes relevant to maternal and neonatal health. Findings from our paper suggest a paucity in evidence from LMICs, and consolidated efforts are required to narrow this gap to build on more inclusive evidence on ANC.

Key messages: Evidence from LMICs suggests that antenatal multiple micronutrient supplementation when compared to iron and folic acid had a significant effect on stillbirth, small for gestational age, and low birthweight (LBW). Vitamin D supplementation reduced the risks of preterm birth and LBW. High-dose calcium supplementation, when compared to placebo in pregnancy, lowered the likelihood of developing high blood pressure, preeclampsia, and preterm birth. Antihypertensives significantly reduced the probability of developing severe hypertension, proteinuria/preeclampsia, and severe preeclampsia. Metformin for GDM reduced the risk of neonatal death or serious morbidity composite. Cervical cerclage had no effect on stillbirth, preterm birth, or perinatal and neonatal mortality. Data for anti-D administration for rhesus alloimmunization were limited to HICs.