Folic acid is a manmade version of folate, a B vitamin that helps your body produce healthy cells. Folic acid is so important to a growing baby that your doctor will likely recommend you take it in a prenatal vitamin if you're planning to or able to become pregnant. Most women don't get enough of the vitamin through diet alone, and the supplemental version is more effective than folate in reducing your baby's risk of certain defects.
Significance
Getting enough folic acid in a prenatal vitamin can help reduce your baby's risk of having a neural tube defect by 50 to 70 percent, according to Baby Center. One defect of the neural tube is spina bifida, which is incomplete development of your baby's spinal cord or the spinal cord's coverings. Another is anencephaly, which is when a large part of the skull and brain are missing. Because the neural tube is the precursor to your baby's brain and spinal cord, most possible defects will occur in the earliest stages of pregnancy. However, folic acid will only be helpful in reducing your baby's risk of neural tube defects if you take it before you're pregnant and in the early weeks of your pregnancy.
Standard Dose
Most multivitamins contain 400 mcg of folic acid, which accounts for 100 percent of your daily needs. However, check the label before you buy a product to make sure you're getting the right dose. Prenatal vitamins tend to contain about 600 mcg of folic acid, according to the March of Dimes. Taking more may be safe in some cases, but do not ever take more than the tolerable upper limit of 1,000 mcg per day unless your doctor recommends otherwise.
Your Changing Needs
If you can get pregnant, take about 400 to 800 mcg of folic acid every day whether or not you're trying to conceive, according to WomensHealth.gov. Getting 400 mcg from a daily multivitamin before you're pregnant should supply you with a sufficient dose, but increase your intake to about 600 daily mcg from a prenatal vitamin once you become pregnant. Once you're breastfeeding, you need about 500 mcg of folic acid per day. In any case, though, consult your doctor to get a personalized recommendation.
Considerations
Your doctor may recommend that you significantly increase your daily dose of folic acid if you are at an increased risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect. Being obese may increase your risk. Having a family member with spina bifida and having previously given birth to a baby with a brain or spinal birth defect can also increase your chances of having a baby with a neural tube defect. In these cases, your doctor may prescribe up to 4,000 mcg of folic acid, according to WomensHealth.gov.
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