Folic acid - how long before TTC?

[MrsPlugThePlumber]

Hi there,

I am just doing a bit of background reading about folic acid... Had planned to start taking now and ttc this month but have read that ideally it should be 3 months in advance, one month, two weeks, all my child-bearing age...

Can anyone point me in the direction of official info? Why would it take 3 months to build up enough in my body? Any thoughts on a higher dose than usual as a kickstart?

Plus I eat loads of marmite anyway ;)

How long did you spend dosing up in anticipation?

Thanks

[ShowOfHands]

The recommendation is 3 months. A high dose won't make a difference, you'll only absorb the amount your body wants to absorb regardless.

But if you want to ttc, do it. Start taking it today.

[1sttimetryer]

My doctor just said start taking it as soon as i start trying, or if you get pregnant by accident just take it straight away as soon as u find out your pregnant, ive never heard about taking it 3 months before, but maybe someone else knows why :)

[MrsPlugThePlumber]

well... exactly! This wouldn't be my first child and before I've started a few weeks in advance, but now I've read 3 months I'm starting to feel like anything less and I'd be short-changing this child.

(but I don't want to wait 3 months... wail)

[ShowOfHands]

Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it. They also recommend that you eat a lovely, healthy, balanced diet and do regular, stimulating exercise through the first trimester. And for a large proportion of women it's 12wks of eating crisps because nothing else stays down and spending 23/24hrs a day lying on the sofa groaning with fatigue and/or sickness. Miraculously, the vast majority of babies are fit and healthy.

You do you best. You want to ttc now, take folic acid now and get on with it. There are lots of things we'd do in an ideal world and that's the basis for recommendations but in real life it's sometimes a bit different. And believe me when it takes you 6 months to conceive you'll wish you'd started trying sooner anyway. If your diet's healthy anyway I be you that starting now will be absolutely fine.