Objective: Available evidence about the role of supplementary vitamin E in normal pregnancy is inadequate. This study assessed the potential benefit of vitamin E supplementation on some pregnancy health indices.
Methods: A 1:2 weighted simple randomization technique was used to allocate 104 eligible pregnant women to receive vitamin E and 168 women (control) not to receive the drug. Treated women received capsules containing 400 IU vitamin E from week 14 of gestation to the end of the pregnancy.
Results: Background variables including maternal age were found to be similarly distributed between the study groups. The rate of maternal and perinatal outcomes including Apgar score and birth weight did not differ significantly between groups. Preeclampsia occurred in 1% of treated women vs 1.78% of control women.
Conclusion: Giving supplemental vitamin E from the second trimester of pregnancy did not appear to affect the risk of pregnancy outcomes and occurrence of preeclampsia.
Keywords: antioxidants; preeclampsia; pregnancy; supplementation; vitamin E.