folic acid - when and how much?

[emeraldgirl1]

Planning to start TTCing (or rather, stopping preventing ) in early next year, probably Jan or Feb. Should I start taking folic acid now? Have I left it too late already?? And when I do start (today, the minute Boots opens ) how much should I be taking? Sorry if it's a really basic question, I can't ask any of my friends with kids because the moment I do they'll all start jumping up and down and screaming with excitement (they've been nagging me to start trying for the past 5 years) which obviously I'd rather they didn't...

TIA!

Morning Emerald I think the recommendation is to start 3 months before ttc (at least that's what it says on my bottle). One a day, can't remember the actual dose off hand.

Don't worry about being too late. I started it three months before and am still trying 8 cycles in so have been taking it 11 months now - glad it's quite cheap!

Good luck with ttc an try not to get too stressed at the start - it only gets worse!

thanks waitingforstork!! Good luck with your own TTC (so that you can stop waiting for stork!!) - yes, I have the feeling this could get stressy... I'm a natural neurotic at the best of times so have PROMISED to myself I am going to look at this as 'stopping preventing' rather than trying...