picks What Folic Acid Dosage Should You Take During Pregnancy? When you re pregnant, good nutrition is essential. Of course, it s always important but even more so when you re eating for two. Even if you eat a healthy diet, your body needs more of certain nutrients when you re pregnant. One, in particular, that you need in supplement form is called folic acid. Of course, you might have questions about what folic acid dosage you should be taking and why. What is Folic Acid? Folic acid is the synthetic form of a vitamin called folate, a type of B vitamin. Your body requires folate for cells to reproduce and to make red blood cells. It s critically important that you get enough folate during pregnancy since your growing baby s cells are dividing rapidly. Just as importantly, research shows folic acid reduces the risk of a type of birth defect called a neural tube defect. These are serious abnormalities that affect a baby s brain and/or spinal cord. Babies born with a neural tube defect can develop a condition called spina bifida where the bones in their spine don t close properly. As a result, the delicate nerves in their spinal cord poke through the defects. Babies with this condition may experience partial or complete paralysis. Another type of neural tube defect is called anencephaly. This grave condition is where portions of a baby s brain don t develop properly. Babies born with anencephaly may have severe intellectual deficits, have difficulty seeing, develop movement problems or experience seizures. Babies with anencephaly may also be stillborn. Fortunately, taking a folic acid supplement reduces the risk of neural tube defects and the sobering consequences of having one. As your doctor will tell you, the best time to start a folic acid supplement is BEFORE you become pregnant. Neural tube defects can form early in pregnancy and taking folic acid gives your baby some protection against neural tube defects and, possibly, other birth defects as well. If you begin before conception, the risk of neural tube defects drops by about 70%. Folic Acid Dosage What folic acid dosage should you take? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that pregnant women take 400 to 600 micrograms of folic acid daily during the planning stages of pregnancy and throughout early pregnancy. If you are currently pregnant and haven t started supplementing with folic acid, start immediately. In fact, a growing number of experts recommend that all women of reproductive age take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily as a safeguard should an unexpected pregnancy pop up. In fact, statistics show that half of all pregnancies are unplanned. One way to get the appropriate dosage of folic acid, in the setting of other nutrients you need more of, is to take a prenatal vitamin. A prenatal vitamin contains at least 400 micrograms of folic acid but some contain even more, as much as twice that amount. Talk to your doctor and get their recommendation on which prenatal vitamin or folic acid supplement to take. The Bottom Line Taking a folic acid supplement reduces the risk of a serious form of birth defect. Be consistent about taking it. It s one more step you can take to increase the odds of delivering a healthy baby. References: MedLine Plus. Neural Tube Defects Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Folic Acid Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Birth Defects beginners
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