# Folic Acid During Preconception



## ImpactAngela (Jun 3, 2002)

Hello Everyone!Has anyone ever had any bad expiriences taking Folic Acid before/during pregnancy?Just curious as my husband and I are going to start trying to get pregnant soon.Thanks!


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## Skrapy (Jul 11, 2001)

Taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid before you get pregnant is a great idea. Folic acid supplementation in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy cuts down the risk of having a baby with spina bifida or other neural tube defects by up to 70%, and also reduces the risk of cleft palate. (From The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth by Sheila Kitzinger).Now that being said my son was a surprise pregnancy so I didn't have the chance to start taking prenatals till I was already six weeks pregnant, and I hated taking them. Then someone who I worked with told me that her daughter had a mild form of spina bifida and she didn't take any prenatal vitamins when pregnant and boy would she do things differently with her next prenancy. So at my next doctor's appointment I told my doctor I had a hard time with the vitamins and he switched me to a different brand that were smaller and that I could tolerate.I would definatly talk to you ob/gyn or midwife about when to start taking prenatal vitamins, taking them just gives your baby a better and healtier start in life.  Erin


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginf...pdi/202250.html Side effects are reported as rare, and sound like they may be much more of the allergic to the color/other additives used in the tablet coating than something from the folic acid.Getting enough folic acid is a really good way to prevent spinal cord defects which can cause some pretty major disabilities depending on how much of the spinal cord is affected.K.


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