Pregnancy
FOLIC ACID FOR GOOD MEASURE
By Jill Tomlin
If you are going to the store for an ovulation predictor kit, add
orange juice, beans, liver and broccoli to your shopping list. These
foods are natural sources of folate, an important B vitamin that
prevents birth defects. Don't like liver and broccoli? Fortunately, you
can ingest vitamin B in a pill form.
In fact, most
multivitamins contain folic acid. Since the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration approved a plan to add folic acid to food in 1998, it
can be found in many cereals, breads and grains. Other natural sources
include spinach, peanuts, asparagus, peas, lentils and brussels
sprouts.
Since most people can't eat enough of these foods to
get optimal folate benefits, the March of Dimes and the American
Academy of Pediatrics recommend that all women of childbearing age take
a daily supplement containing 400 micrograms of folic acid.
According
to Dr. Donald R. Mattison, medical director for the March of Dimes,
women should make a concerted effort to increase their folic acid
intake at least a month before attempting to become pregnant. Timing is
key because folic acid can prevent certain birth defects within the
first four weeks after conception. "That's often a time before the
couple has even recognized that they are pregnant," Mattison says.
Folic
acid helps prevent neural tube defects, which cause malformations of
the brain and spinal cord, and can lead to conditions like spina bifida
(causes paralysis and poor bowel function). Folic acid also may prevent
heart defects and Down Syndrome.
Once you are pregnant, your
doctor will likely encourage an increase of folic acid. But, check with
your doctor before you decide to up your dose on your own. Doubling up
on a multivitamin could be dangerous, cautions New York obstetrician
Dr. Charles Lockwood.
Even after you bring your new baby home
from the hospital, it's a good idea to continue taking folic acid
daily, experts say, because half of all pregnancies are unplanned.
"It's simple to do," says Mattison. "And well worth it."
For more folic acid info, visit March of Dimes online.
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About The Author
Topeka, Kansas native Jill Tomlin
writes about health issues for Your Baby Today. Her work appears in
national publications.
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