Antenatal care: iron and folic acid: practice question

A OBG question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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OBG · Antenatal care: iron and folic acid

Sample item

Under the national Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy, what is the standard daily iron-folic acid supplementation for a pregnant woman without anaemia?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

A. 60 mg elemental iron and 500 mcg folic acid for 180 days starting from the second trimester

Indian guidelines give one IFA tablet daily containing 60 mg elemental iron and 500 mcg folic acid for at least 180 days from the second trimester, then continued for 180 days postpartum. Oral iron is avoided in the first trimester because of nausea.

Option by option

  • A. 60 mg elemental iron and 500 mcg folic acid for 180 days starting from the second trimester (correct)

    Correct. This is the national prophylactic dose and duration.

  • B. 30 mg elemental iron and 400 mcg folic acid in the first trimester only

    Supplementation is not limited to the first trimester and the dose differs.

  • C. 200 mg elemental iron and 1 mg folic acid weekly

    Daily, not weekly, dosing is used in pregnancy.

  • D. 100 mg elemental iron and 5 mg folic acid only in the third trimester

    This dose and window do not match the national schedule.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More OBG questions

Questions about this OBG question

What is the answer to this OBG question?

The best answer is A, 60 mg elemental iron and 500 mcg folic acid for 180 days starting from the second trimester. Indian guidelines give one IFA tablet daily containing 60 mg elemental iron and 500 mcg folic acid for at least 180 days from the second trimester, then continued for 180 days postpartum.

Why is "30 mg elemental iron and 400 mcg folic acid in the first trimester on…" not the answer?

Supplementation is not limited to the first trimester and the dose differs.

Why is "200 mg elemental iron and 1 mg folic acid weekly" not the answer?

Daily, not weekly, dosing is used in pregnancy.

Why is "100 mg elemental iron and 5 mg folic acid only in the third trimester" not the answer?

This dose and window do not match the national schedule.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Antenatal care: iron and folic acid in OBG. Oral iron is avoided in the first trimester because of nausea.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Antenatal care: iron and folic acid?

Learn management algorithms as steps: PPH, eclampsia, ectopic pregnancy. Then use the flashcards and the other OBG questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.