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This is not a medical site. Information on
this page is provided on a "best efforts" basis for interest
only and does not constitute personal advice. Folic acid, also known as folate, is a B-vitamin that can be found in some enriched foods and vitamin pills. If women have enough of it in their bodies before pregnancy, this vitamin can decrease the risk for neural tube defects (NTDs), which are birth defects of the baby's brain (anencephaly) or spine (spina bifida). Spina bifida, a birth defect of the spine, can cause paralysis of the lower body, with no control of bowel or bladder, and learning disabilities. Most of us get some folic acid in our diet every day. Folic acid has been added to some foods such as enriched breads, pastas, rice and cereals. Check the labels on your breakfast cereals; a few have 100 percent of the folic acid you need. A well-balanced diet with fruits and vegetables is always important. You can get your folic acid through food alone, but it takes careful planning to make sure you get enough every day. For many women, an easy way to be sure you're getting enough folic acid is to take a vitamin with folic acid in it. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that all women who could possibly become pregnant get 400 micrograms (or 0.4 mg) of folic acid every day. This could prevent up to 70% of some types of serious birth defects. But to do this, women need folic acid before they get pregnant. That's why you should always get enough folic acid every day even if you're not thinking about a baby any time soon. No one expects an unplanned pregnancy. But they happen - every day. In fact, about half of all pregnancies are not planned. That's why you should get enough folic acid every day if there's any chance you could get pregnant. Because by the time you know you're pregnant, your baby's brain and spine are already formed Please click on the any of the below links to be taken to that section. Once on the product description you will be given the opportunely to purchase the relevant product
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