Folic acid and folate binding protein in pregnancy.

Folic acid and folate binding protein (FABP) concentrations were determined in 208 pregnant women as well as in 50 non-pregnant women. Serum folate levels in pregnant women were significantly lower than those of the non-pregnant group. Anaemic pregnant women also had lower serum folate concentrations than those of the non-anaemic pregnant women. Ninetyeight of 208 (47.1%) pregnant women had serum folate levels of less than 4ng/ml. No significant dierence in red cell folate concentration between the pregnant and non-pregnant groups was demonstrated, and only 5 of 206 (2.4%) of pregnant women had red cell folate levels of less than 200ng/ml. Serum FABP levels in preg nant women were also found to be significantly higher (p<0.001) than those of the non-pregnant women. These levels were also found to be higher in the anaemic pregnant group and in pregnant women with serum folate concentration less than 4ng/ml than those of the non-anaemic pregnant women and pregnant women with serum folate concentration higher than 4ng/ml, respectively. There was a direct relationship between the serum FABP levels and the