Folic Acid Benefits During Pregnancy

by CDC

The B vitamin folic acid helps prevent birth defects. If a woman has enough folic acid in her body before and while she is pregnant, her baby is less likely to have a major birth defect of the brain or spine.

Most women do not know how important folic acid is for their bodies and for the health of a baby they might have in the future. They also do not know that a woman needs to take folic acid every day, starting before she is pregnant, for it to work to prevent birth defects.

Birth defects of a baby's brain or spine happen in the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman knows that she is pregnant. That is why it is important for a woman to get enough folic acid each day, starting before she is pregnant.

A woman's body uses folic acid to make healthy new cells for her baby. Scientists are not sure how folic acid works to prevent birth defects, but they do know that it is needed for making the cells that will form a baby's brain, spine, organs, skin, and bones.

Every woman needs folic acid for the healthy new cells her body makes every day . . . even if she is not planning to get pregnant.

All Women, Every Day

What is folic acid? As a woman, you need folic acid every day, whether you're planning to get pregnant or not, for the healthy new cells your body makes daily. Think about your skin, hair, and nails. These - and other parts of your body - make new cells each day.

You might think that you can get all the folic acid and other vitamins you need from the food you eat each day. But it is hard to eat a diet that has all the nutrients you need every day. Even with careful planning, you might not get all the vitamins you need from your diet alone. That's why it's important to take a vitamin with folic acid every day.

Today's woman is busy! You know that you should exercise, eat right, and get enough sleep. You might wonder how you can fit another thing into your day. But it only takes a few seconds to take a vitamin to get all the folic acid you need!

Make it easy to remember. Try taking a vitamin when you brush your teeth. Or take it with your morning coffee, after your shower, or when you brush your hair. Seeing the vitamin bottle on the bathroom or kitchen counter can help you remember it, too. If you have children, take your vitamin when they take theirs. That sets a good example!

You can get your vitamin with folic acid in one of several ways. You can take a multivitamin or a small, single supplement of folic acid. These days, multivitamins with folic acid come in chewable chocolate or fruit flavors, liquids, and large oval or smaller round pills. Many stores offer a single folic acid supplement for just pennies a day. Another good choice is a store brand multivitamin, which includes most of the vitamins you need each day. Unless your doctor suggests a special type, you do not need to choose among vitamins for women or active people, or even to go with a low carbohydrate diet. A basic multivitamin meets the needs of most women.

A single serving of many breakfast cereals also has the amount of folic acid that you need each day. Check the label! Look for cereals that have 100% daily value (DV) of folic acid in a serving.

Think back to when you were a child and you took your vitamin - how easy it was to chew up that fruit-flavored tablet in the fun shape of your favorite cartoon character. You may have been told: "Take your vitamin. It's good for you." Today, taking a vitamin with folic acid is just as easy - and just as good for you!

The CDC, the March of Dimes, and the National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA) have organized a national folic acid promotion effort for the prevention of serious birth defects of the brain and spine (neural tube defects or NTDs). The goal of the effort is to teach all women about the importance of getting enough folic acid every day.

The effort aims to reach every woman who could possibly become pregnant, as well as teach health care professionals and community advocacy groups about the importance of folic acid. The CDC, the March of Dimes, and NCFA have created messages, materials, websites, and other tools to reach these three groups with the folic acid message.

Research has helped identify two target groups of women who could become pregnant and need to learn the folic acid message: women planning a pregnancy ("contemplators") and those not planning a pregnancy ("non-contemplators").

"Contemplators" generally fall in the 18-35 year old range and are planning a pregnancy sometime in the next year or so. These women are likely to consider changing their behaviors to prepare for a healthy pregnancy. These women are open to messages about pregnancy. Yet, most "contemplators" do not know when folic acid is needed to prevent birth defects. So, education about needing to take folic acid before getting pregnant and in the first few months is important.

The "non-contemplators" are harder to reach. These young women are usually 18-24 years of age and are not planning to become pregnant anytime soon. Thoughts about getting pregnant are not on their radar screen. They are less open to messages about pregnancy and do not see behaviors that improve pregnancy outcomes as important for them. As half of all pregnancies are not planned, it is important that "non-contemplators" learn the benefit of taking a multivitamin with folic acid every day, regardless of whether they are planning to get pregnant or are not. Messages for these women should focus on the idea that adopting this habit today can not only provide general health benefits but also can help prevent a birth defect in a baby they might want to have in the future.

About the Author

www.cdc.gov
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves.