Folic acid is one of the most important prenatal vitamins. Taking the recommended dose of 400 mcg of folic acid before and during pregnancy can help prevent birth defects in your baby’s brain and spinal cord. In addition to taking vitamins, experts recommend including natural sources of folic acid in your diet.
Folic acid is a synthetic form of vitamin B called folate. Folic acid plays an important role in the production of red blood cells and helps your baby’s neural tube develop into the brain and spinal cord. The best dietary sources of folic acid are fortified cereals. Folic acid is naturally found in dark green vegetables and citrus fruits.
When should you take folic acid?
Congenital defects in your unborn baby occur during the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, the folic acid content in your body is very important in those early stages when your baby’s brain and spinal cord are developing.
Doctors often recommend starting prenatal vitamins with folic acid in advance, even before pregnancy. A study by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention showed that women who took folic acid at least one year before pregnancy reduced their chances of early delivery by 50% or more.
Doctors recommend starting to take folic acid every day at least one month before you become pregnant and every day during pregnancy. If you did not take folic acid before conception, you should start as soon as you find out you are pregnant. In addition, doctors recommend that all women of childbearing age take folic acid every day. The general consensus among doctors is that you should start taking folic acid as early as possible. The earlier, the better.
Even if you have chosen your own prenatal vitamins, please take them to your obstetrician-gynaecologist as soon as you become pregnant. Your doctor needs to make sure that it contains the recommended amount of folic acid.
Not all prenatal vitamins are the same, and some may contain less or more of the vitamins and minerals you need.
How much folic acid should you take?
The recommended dose for all women of childbearing age is 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. If you take a daily multivitamin, please make sure it contains the recommended amount of folic acid. If for some reason you do not want to take a multivitamin, you can take folic acid supplements.
Without enough folic acid in your body, your baby’s neural tube may not close properly. This can cause health problems called neural tube defects.
Babies with anencephaly usually do not live long, and those with spina bifida may be permanently disabled. The good news is that getting enough folic acid can protect your baby from neural tube defects by at least 50%. According to research, if you have already had a baby with a neural tube defect, getting enough folic acid can reduce the risk of having another baby with a neural tube defect by as much as 70%.
A 70% lower risk. That is how much the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect is reduced when taking folic acid, even if you have already had a baby with this condition.
If you have had a previous child with a neural tube defect, it is recommended that you increase your daily intake of folic acid to 4000 mcg (4 mg) every day. Before taking any dosage, we strongly recommend that you consult your doctor about how much you should take.
