Are you getting enough folic acid?

January 6, 2020

Folic acid is a vitamin that every cell in your body needs to grow and develop. Taking it before pregnancy and during the early weeks of pregnancy can help protect your baby from:

  • Neural tube defects (NTDs), which are birth defects of the brain, spine, and spinal cord
  • Cleft lip and cleft palate, which are birth defects of the mouth

In the U.S., NTDs affect about 3,000 pregnancies each year. According to clinical experts, if all women who could become pregnant took 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily before getting pregnant and during early pregnancy, it could help prevent up to 7 in 10 (70 percent) NTDs.

How to  get enough folic acid?

You can get folic acid from:

  1. A vitamin supplement. This could be a multivitamin, a prenatal vitamin, or a folic-acid only supplement. Talk to your healthcare provider to learn more about which is the right one for you.  
  2. Fortified foods. Some examples are bread, breakfast cereals, pasta, and corn masa products (tortillas, tamales, pupusas, taco shells). Look for “fortified” or “enriched” on labels.
  3. Foods naturally high in folate. This is the natural form of folic acid found in beans and lentils, leafy greens (like spinach and romaine lettuce), broccoli, asparagus, and oranges (or 100% orange juice).

How much folic acid do you need?  

Nearly half of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned. That’s why health experts recommend making folic acid part of your daily routine:

  • Before pregnancy, take a vitamin supplement with 400 mcg of folic acid every day. Start at least 1 month before pregnancy through the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
  • During pregnancy, take a prenatal vitamin each day that has 600 mcg of folic acid in it. Folic acid only works to prevent NTDs before and during the first few weeks of pregnancy. Later in pregnancy, you need 600 mcg of folic acid each day to help your baby grow and develop.

If you’re at high risk for having a baby with an NTD, talk to your provider about how much folic acid you need. 

Learn more about folic acid and be sure to ask your healthcare provider.

This article was written over two years ago. Please be advised that some information may have changed. For questions about your health, talk to your healthcare provider.