Folic Acid

Folic acid is important for a developing baby. It’s needed in the early weeks of pregnancy, before a woman might even know that she is pregnant. All women who could become pregnant should take a multivitamin that has folic acid in it every day.

Fact #1

Folic acid taken before pregnancy can help lower the risk of having a baby born with a neural tube defect.

Fact #2

Your multivitamin needs to have 0.4mg (400mcg) of folic acid in it.

Fact #3

Remember to take a multivitamin that contains folic acid every day - set up a routine that works best for you.

Fact #4

It's hard to get the amount of folic acid that women need from food alone.

Fact #5

Look for either "folic acid" or "folate" on the label of a multivitamin bottle.

Why is folic acid so important for women?

All women who could become pregnant are at risk of having a baby born with a defect in the brain, skull or spine. These serious birth defects are called neural tube defects (NTDs).

NTDs happen in the early weeks of pregnancy when the neural tube (the part of the developing baby that will become the brain and spinal cord) doesn’t close properly.

Taking a multivitamin with folic acid in it every day before pregnancy can help to lower the risk of having a baby with these birth defects.

Learn more about folic acid and multivitamins during pregnancy.

Why do I need to take a multivitamin with folic acid in it before pregnancy?

Taking a multivitamin with folic acid in it every day before pregnancy can help to lower the risk of having a baby born with a neural tube defect (NTD).

Folic acid is most important to the development of a baby in the early weeks of pregnancy. At this early stage, many women don’t know that they are pregnant.

Taking a multivitamin with folic acid in it is recommended instead of taking folic acid as a single supplement.

How much folic acid do I need?

If you could become pregnant, take a multivitamin that has 0.4 mg (400 mcg) of folic acid in it every day.

The label of the multivitamin will tell you the amount of folic acid or folate it has in it. Look for “folic acid” or “folate” on the label where the vitamins are listed.

Take the recommended daily dose of the multivitamin. More than the daily dose is not necessary and may give you too much of some vitamins and minerals. When taking multivitamin supplements, more is NOT better.

To help you to remember to take the multivitamin every day, set up a regular routine that works for you. For example, take your multivitamin when you brush your teeth in the morning.

A multivitamin supplement doesn’t take the place of a healthy, well balanced diet.

For most women, taking a multivitamin with 0.4 mg (400 mcg) of folic acid every day and eating healthy provides enough folic acid.

You may need more folic acid if:

you’ve had one pregnancy affected by an NTD
you or your partner have a family history of NTDs
you have diabetes
you take anticonvulsant medicine
you have a health condition (e.g. Crohn’s disease, Celiac disease) that affects how your body uses folate
you have had gastric bypass surgery

Before you start trying to become pregnant, talk to your health care provider about the amount of folic acid that’s right for you.

Don’t I get enough folic acid from food?

It’s hard to get the amount of folic acid you need from food alone. The best way to get enough folic acid is:

Take a multivitamin that has 0.4 mg (400 mcg) folic acid in it every day.

AND

Include foods in your daily meals and snacks that naturally contain folate or are fortified with folic acid.

You can check the folate content of foods here.

What’s the difference between folate and folic acid?

This can be a little confusing. Folic acid and folate are words used to talk about the same B vitamin. Folate is the name used to talk about what is naturally found in foods. Foods that naturally have folate in them include:

whole grain breads
dark green vegetables (e.g. broccoli, spinach, peas and brussels sprouts)
corn
dried peas, beans and lentils
citrus fruits and juices

Check the folate content of foods here.

Folic acid is the name commonly used when talking about adding this B vitamin to foods (called fortification).

Foods that are fortified with folic acid include:

enriched bread
enriched pasta
most breakfast cereals

Read food labels to find out if the food is fortified with folic acid.

Both “folic acid” and “folate” are the names that you will find on the label of a multivitamin that contains this B vitamin.

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