Folic acid is a vitamin essential to humans. It is required for DNA synthesis and other important metabolic processes. Folic acid is found in foods such as grains, green vegetables, beans, and meats. Although it can be obtained through many of the foods we eat, it is hard to get all the folic acid we need from our diet alone, especially during pregnancy. Women need more folic acid during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Folic acid deficiency in pregnancy can lead to neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
Pregnant women need 400 mcg of folic acid daily in addition to a well balanced diet. A woman who is planning to get pregnant should start taking folic acid pills one month before conception and at least during the first three months of pregnancy which is the time when neural tube defects develop. In addition, women who have had a child with a neural tube defect need a much higher dose of folic acid. It is recommended for these women to take 4 milligrams of folic acid daily. Due to the increased amount of folic acid needed in these women, folic acid should be taken as a separate pill and not as part of their daily multivitamin. (1)
Reference:
1. Recommendations for the use of folic acid to reduce the number of cases of spina bifida and other neural tube defects. MMWR Recomm Rep. Sep 11 1992;41(RR-14):1-7.
