Folic Acid and Pregnancy. Get some…um…Folic Acid.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

According to the CDC, some 3,000 pregnancies a year are ffected by spina bifida or anencephaly (, neural tube defects caused by the incomplete development of the brain and spinal cord).  Studies have shown that women taking 400 mcg of folic acid daily both before and during pregnancy may reduce the risk of neural tube defects by up to 70%.

Is it safe? Folic acid is a type of B vitamin.  It is largely recognized as safe.

When should you take folic acid? Neural tube and spinal defects occur in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman finds out that she is pregnant.  All women of child-bearing age should get in the habit of taking folic acid daily.  This is true even if they are not planning to get pregnant.

Where do you get folic acid? You can get your vitamin with folic acid with or without a prescription in one of several ways.  You can take a multivitamin or a small, single supplement of folic acid.  Unless your doctor suggests a special type, you do not need to choose among vitamins for women or active people, or even to go with a low carbohydrate diet. A basic multivitamin meets the needs of most women.

Another way to get enough is to eat a serving of breakfast cereal every day that has been enriched with 100% of the daily value of folic acid. Not every cereal has this amount. Check the label on the side of the box, and look for one that has “100%” next to folic acid.

Safe, Effective and readily obtainable.

~Posted by David Marc Schwadron, Esquire