Cochrane · systematic review · CD003402
Omega‐3 fatty acid addition during pregnancy
Middleton, P, Gomersall, JC, Gould, JF, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2018 · Cochrane Library
Pregnancy and ChildbirthAMSTAR 2: not assessed
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
27
current version
GRADE rated
25
No studies
2
Included studies
NR
No studies 2 · 7.4%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 2 · 7.4%Low 14 · 51.9%Moderate 6 · 22.2%High 3 · 11.1%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Birth/infant outcomes
Population: pregnant women and their babies
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Preterm birth < 37 weeks | RR 0.89 [0.81, 0.97] | 26 studies · 10304 participants | High |
Early preterm birth < 34 weeks | RR 0.58 [0.44, 0.77] | 9 studies · 5204 participants | High |
Perinatal death | RR 0.75 [0.54, 1.03] | 10 studies · 7416 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
SGA/IUGR | RR 1.01 [0.9, 1.13] | 8 studies · 6907 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
LBW | RR 0.9 [0.82, 0.99] | 15 studies · 8449 participants | High |
LGA | RR 1.15 [0.97, 1.36] | 6 studies · 3722 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Serious adverse events for neonate/infant | RR 0.72 [0.53, 0.99] | 2 studies · 2690 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Maternal outcomes
Population: pregnant women
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Prolonged gestation > 42 weeks | RR 1.61 [1.11, 2.33] | 6 studies · 5141 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Induction post‐term | RR 0.82 [0.22, 2.98] | 3 studies · 2900 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Pre‐eclampsia | RR 0.84 [0.69, 1.01] | 20 studies · 8306 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Gestational length | MD 1.67 [0.95, 2.39] | 41 studies · 12517 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Maternal serious adverse events | RR 1.04 [0.4, 2.72] | 2 studies · 2690 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Maternal admission to intensive care | RR 0.56 [0.12, 2.63] | 2 studies · 2458 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Postnatal depression | RR 0.99 [0.56, 1.77] | 2 studies · 2431 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency |
Child/adult outcomes
Population: children of women randomised to omega‐3 or no omega‐3 during pregnancy
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Cognition: BSID II score at < 24 months | no estimate extracted | 4 studies · 1154 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Cognition: BSID III score at < 24 months | MD 0.04 | 2 studies · 809 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
IQ: WASI at 7 years | MD 1 | 1 study · 543 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
IQ: WISC‐IV at 12 years | MD 1 | 1 study · 50 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Behaviour: BSID III adaptive behaviour score at 12‐18 months | no estimate extracted | 2 studies · 809 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Behaviour: SDQ Total Difficulties at 7 years | MD 1.08 [0.18, 1.98] | 1 study · 543 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
BMI at 19 years | MD 0 | 1 study · 243 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Diabetes | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |
Health service outcomes
Population: pregnant women and their infants
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
Maternal hospital admission (antenatal) | RR 0.92 [0.81, 1.04] | 5 studies · 2876 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Infant admission to neonatal care | RR 0.92 [0.83, 1.03] | 9 studies · 6920 participants | Moderate Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Maternal length of hospital stay (days) | MD 0.18 | 2 studies · 2290 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Infant length of hospital stay (days) | MD 0.11 | 1 study · 2041 participants | Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Costs | no estimate extracted | NR | No studies |