Omega 3 supplements for preventing pre-term birth

Omega 3 supplements can improve pregnancy outcomes: and a new trial shows how routine screening and supplementation can be implemented.

The leading cause of death of children under the age of five is preterm birth (delivery before 37 weeks’ gestation).

Omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation in pregnant women is a promising intervention for reducing the risk of preterm birth and improving infant outcomes. The 2021 Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines recommend omega-3 supplement of 800mg docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] and 100mg eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA] each day for women with low omega 3 levels to reduce the risk of preterm birth.

In research published in the Medical Journal of Australia, researchers at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, led by Dr Karen Best,report that a program integrated into routine antennal care in South Australia can identify which women would benefit from omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and provide them tailored information about doing so.

The researchers developed the Omega-3 Test and Treat Program for integrating omega-3 fatty acid blood testing and supplementation guidance for pregnant women into routine antenatal care.

Pregnant women with low levels of omega-3 are identified during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy and provided supplementation advice as needed.

The study authors say that identifying women with low levels of Omega-3 can be difficult, and blood testing remains the gold standard.

“A major problem in clinical practice is the lack of an established omega-3 testing protocol, and expertise among health professionals is limited with regard to the role of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy,” they said.

“Our early stage evaluation of the Omega-3 Test-and-Treat Program indicates that it is feasible and can be integrated into routine antenatal care, providing a strategy for reducing the risk of preterm birth with a targeted nutritional intervention.”

The authors found that the testing rate increased rapidly during the early implementation phase of the program, and that engagement from both women and their medical practitioners was strong, supporting the possibility of its system-level adoption.

“Encouragingly, the omega-3 fatty acid testing rate has continued to increase since the early implementation phase; the mean number of tests is now consistently more than 800 per month, and test requests are included in about 60% of all SAMSAS (South Australian Maternal Serum Antenatal Screening) referrals.”

The study was based in South Australia, and the authors say it could be implemented in other states and territories.

“The Omega-3 Test-and-Treat Program is a realistic approach to reducing the risk of preterm birth through omega-3 fatty acid testing and targeted supplementation.”

Sally Block is the editor of the MJA’s InSight+. She is a former ABC Journalist.

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