how good is folic acid in pregnancy?
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Why folic acid is important before and during pregnancy During early development, folic acid helps form the neural tube. Folic acid is very important because it can help prevent some major birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida).
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To make sure you have enough folic acid in your body to prevent neural tube defects, the CDC recommends women who plan to become pregnant or who are of childbearing age take 400 mcg of folic acid daily.
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How much you should take. It's recommended that all women who could get pregnant should take a daily supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid before they're pregnant and during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, when the baby's spine is developing.
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If you have the right level of folic acid in your body before you get pregnant, it reduces the risk of the baby developing neural tube defects by up to 70%. Neural tube defects are problems with the brain or spinal cord, including spina bifida.
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“Though, more testing is needed.” For pregnant women, the RDA of folic acid is 600 micrograms (mcg). Additionally, it's recommended that women who are planning to become pregnant or who may become pregnant supplement with a daily dose of 400 to 800 mcg folic acid starting at least 1 month before becoming pregnant.
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Folic acid can help prevent birth defects known as neural tube defects, including spina bifida. If you did not take folic acid before you conceived, you should start as soon as you find out you're pregnant. You should also eat foods that contain folate (the natural form of folic acid), such as green leafy vegetables.
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Prenatal vitamins give you extra amounts of these three key nutrients for pregnant women: Folic acid helps your baby's brain and spinal cord develop correctly. This nutrient reduces the risk of serious birth defects called spina bifida and anencephaly. Calcium protects your bones as your baby grows.
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By 12 weeks, the baby's neural tube should have closed so you don't need to take folic acid. But it isn't harmful to take it all the way through your pregnancy. So, you can carry on if you are taking pregnancy multivitamin tablets that contain it.
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Many mums wonder whether folic acid will help them get pregnant. While folic acid will not help you to conceive, it is widely accepted that folic acid is vital for supporting healthy neural tube development in the very early stages of pregnancy.
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Vitamin B-9 (folic acid) might be the most important B vitamin to take during pregnancy. The March of Dimes recommends that women of childbearing age take 400 mcg of vitamin B-9 daily before and after pregnancy. Your folic acid needs will increase when you become pregnant.
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When higher doses are needed Some women will be advised to take a higher dose of 5 milligrams (5mg) of folic acid each day until they're 12 weeks pregnant if they have a higher chance of having a pregnancy affected by neural tube defects.
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The World Health Organisation recommends that healthy pregnant women take 0.4 mg of folic acid per day. Women with a family history of neural tube defects are recommended to take ten times this amount, for which 5 mg folic acid pills are widely available.
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NICE recommends women should take 400 micrograms of folic acid each day, from before pregnancy until the end of the first trimester (first 12 weeks), and 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily throughout pregnancy and while breastfeeding. No other supplements are recommended for routine use.
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Folic acid and birth defect prevention. Taking folic acid before and during pregnancy can reduce the risk of certain birth defects. These include spina bifida, anencephaly, and some heart defects.
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Our experts answer your pregnancy questions If you're on a daily multivitamin already, you could continue taking it as long as it contains enough folic acid. For a low-risk pregnancy, that's 400 micrograms a day.
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Women of reproductive age need 400 mcg of folic acid every day. Major birth defects of the baby's brain or spine occur very early in pregnancy (3-4 weeks after conception), before most women know they are pregnant.
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Everyone needs folic acid. But for women who can get pregnant, it is really important! If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before she is pregnant, it can help prevent major birth defects of her baby's brain and spine. These birth defects are neural tube defects or NTDs.