"You MUST take folic acid 3mths before TTC!"

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Honestly, when you think of the amount of unplanned pregnancies (therefore lacking in the 3-month folic acid dosage), that result in healthy babies, why do people state that you "must" take folic acid for such a long time before TTC?

Just that, really! I thought it was just one person saying it just to me, but I've roamed about on Mumsnet and found a few others, all equally urgent in "must" and "have to" language... Just sounds a bit OTT?

It's not a 'must', but it is advised

Like anything it is what's advised. Up to people what they do and don't do. Research into neural tube defects has proven that taking the recommended dose of folic acid for 3 mths prior to conception and the 1st 3 mths of pregnancy reduces the chance of neural tube defects. However these days a lot of food is fortified with folic acid for the very reason that often pregnancies are not planned. This is why even In Unplanned pregnancies the number of neural tube defects seen is much less then it was many years ago.

It would be foolish however if planning a pregnancy not to heed the advice.

It's a good idea though, spina bifida can be so catastrophic and is largely preventable...Cheap supplement that's easy to take, why not!

There's no "must" about it. But if you have a difficult decision later down the line about a baby who may not survive due to a condition that folic acid may have prevented then maybe the decision becomes clearer. Why risk something when you can do something so simple to prevent it!

I can't understand why anyone wouldn't give their child the best possible start. It's hardly a massive inconvenience to do.

It's not about refusing to give a baby their best chance, I'm TTC and have been taking folic acid since before doing so (general pre-conception supplement), but i also eat well and am probably getting folic acid in my diet already. But it's just by chance I saw the supplement in the shop when I was buying pregnancy tests, and I thought, "why not?" and bought them. I didn't know it was such a big deal, yet since as long as I can remember I knew about taking folic acid during pregnancy. And I know a number of people who have had unplanned pregnancies so no folic acid supplements there, and have healthy children 🤷

Forgot to add, also bought supplements for DH, but for the same reason: I saw it in the shop at the right moment. Sheer luck.

I guess I'm also wondering, is it aimed at people who never eat home cooked food by any chance? It's contained in red meats, green veg like broccoli and spinach, nuts, seeds, pulses... We eat all that stuff on a regular basis and rarely any ready meals etc.?

I guess I'm also wondering, is it aimed at people who never eat home cooked food by any chance?

No, it’s almost impossible to get the recommended amount of folic acid from diet alone.

I agree in one way, I am not a fan of telling anyone and women in particular that they must do something, there is too much of that already but I don't think it is bad to advise and share information.

Folic acid is no big deal to take it is cheap and does no harm for those of us between puberty and menopause to take daily anyway.

I have spina bifida, I live in constant pain and frustration at the failings of my body and my case is not particularly severe so I guess I am a biased though.

Does anyone know if it can be bad to take more than advised... i’ve been taking a folic acid supplement then also saw it’s in my
Multivit too, so essentially i’ve been doubling up for about 4 months. It’s not likely to do any harm though, right? PS I am TTC, not pregnant

Some people are advised to take a much bigger dose than in the pregnancy vitamins so you should be fine. Btw normal multivitamins aren't advised while pregnant due to vitamin A levels.

Well it's advised and if you are planning on ttc or already pregnant then of course take them, but I don't think it's disastrous if it isn't possible. DD was unplanned, and I had horrendous HG for the entire pregnancy I could barely keep water and food down let alone tablets. If I managed to swallow them without gagging and vomiting they came back up soon later anyway. DD is absolutely perfect, and has had one cold in her two years of life, clearly hasn't done her any harm.

Of course people get pregnant without taking folic acid and have healthy babies. That type of anecdata is useless.

The reason the NHS and medical professionals are so passionate about folic acid is because taking it can prevent up to 70% of brain and spine defects, all of which occur in the very early weeks of pregnancy, sometimes before the woman even knows she is pregnant (hence why it's advised to take when TTC - by the time some women find out they are pregnant, it's too late for folic acid to make a difference). Unlike the US, the UK doesn't have as much folic acid fortified food, and getting the right amount is nigh impossible from diet alone.

There is a tremendous amount of research out there which shows exactly why it's important, and there has been a lot of pressure on the government previously to fortify bread and other products with folic acid.

There was a documentary about spina bifida on the BBC a couple of months ago. I'd recommend watching that if it's still on iPlayer - it talked a lot about folic acid and the importance of it and was presented by a young woman with spina bifida.

So I guess I'm a bit shocked that this isn't something I'd ever heard about and that I just lucked out in taking it because it was there 😨 yet somehow I'd heard about folic acid being essential in pregnancy all the way back to my childhood!

The sanctimonious people who assumed I was just being resistent to taking a simple tablet can bugger off.

I know of an accidental pregnancy where the mother had no idea until 7 or 8 weeks. The couple came round to the idea, got very excited to become parents but were devastated at the 20 week scan when a very severe form of spina bifida was discovered. She had a traumatic termination around 22 weeks. This was a healthy woman in her 20s who ate and drank as many women that age do- a bit too much junk food, no vitamins. She was told by doctors to take folic acid to mininise the chance of it happening again. Of course some people take no vitamins and are lucky but the warnings are not for no reason. I take folate as it absorbs better. More expensive but worth it.