If you're pregnant or thinking of having a baby in the future, you might have heard about taking folic acid supplements during your pregnancy. However, you may not have been told why this is so important. Folic acid is a form of the vitamin B9. This vitamin is key in preventing anemia while you're pregnant, and has been shown to be a very important factor in preventing serious birth defects like spina bifida and anencephaly. The most important time to make sure you have an adequate intake of folic acid is before and in the early stages of pregnancy. If you're considering having a baby, making sure that you have enough folic acid is a vital step. folic acid and pregnancy
You can get folic acid from a number of different sources. It's found in a lot of different foods, including leafy greens like spinach and kale, orange juice, and sweet potatoes. Women who are pregnant are recommended to get at least 600 micrograms of folic acid from food. Alternatively, you can choose to take a folic acid supplement. Many women who don't want to watch their diet closely choose this option as an easier way to get enough folic acid in early pregnancy. If you choose to use a supplement, you'll need only 400 micrograms per day, as the folic acid in supplements is more concentrated than that received from food. Even after pregnancy, you should make sure you keep eating foods that contain folic acid, or taking supplements. This is because you'll need around 500 micrograms of folic acid from food per day if you're breastfeeding.
You should never exceed 1000 micrograms of folic acid a day. This is because folic acid can mask anemia caused by deficiency of vitamin B12. Going without enough of this vitamin in the long term can cause nerve damage. However, this is very rare, and no cases have been reported in either the US or Canada. There's no known toxicity level for folic acid, so it's impossible to become poisoned by the vitamin itself.
Getting enough folic acid in pregnancy, whether from food or from a supplement, is an important way to protect your growing baby. This vitamin is a simple, but important part of the development of new cells and of a baby's neural tube. During pregnancy, cells are dividing and reproducing quickly. This is why we all need to pay attention to what we eat, and be sure to take in the right vitamins before we get pregnant, and in the early stages of pregnancy. Make sure that your baby grows up healthy and strong by talking with your doctor about the best way for you to get enough folic acid in pregnancy.