Folic Acid

So in honor of Mother's Day coming up I thought I would go all motherly and talk about Folic Acid and the importance of this vitamin, especially if you are considering becoming a mommy yourself! You would be hard pressed to find a doctor who wouldn't sing the praises of Folic Acid in preventing birth defects in babies.

I am sure you have heard doctor's recommendations to start taking Folic Acid 1 year before you start trying, minimum. Although they prefer 'all women of the child bearing age' to be taking it. This is code for 'if you are having sex, you could get pregnant so take Folic Acid'.  I am not a doctor but I do read a lot about health care, nature and supplements. So here is the advice I will share with you. . .

* If you are having sex, take a multi vitamin with Folic Acid. You need 400mcg prior to being pregnant, during pregnancy 600-800mcg. If you have a family history of neural-tube defects 4,000mcg of Folic Acid a day.
* Most multi vitamins have enough for the minimal dosage, read the labels carefully to ensure this is true.
* It is water soluble so taking too much isn't then end of the world. Although some women are prone to a B-12 deficiency if they take to much.