Pregnancy Multi vitamins

[JB86]

Hi all,

I'm four months pregnant (first pregnancy) and have been taking pregnancy multi vitamins since I found out I was pregnant.

I have been taking Wilko Pregnancy tablets as they pretty much contain all the same vitamins as pregnacare but are a fraction of the cost (link below). My only concern is that they contain folic acid - the Government's Chief Medical Officer advises that women who are pregnant should take folic acid every day until the 12th week of pregnancy.

Midwife says I should find an alternative but after looking at pregnacare, etc. they all seem to contain folic acid.....and say that you should take them throughout pregnancy and breast feeding. Confused.

Any advice would be appreciated! Thank you!

www.wilko.com/family-planning/wilko-pregnancy-tablets-30pk/invt/0348322?nst=0&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1baGs6PU1wIVgTgbCh3sDwzgEAQYASABEgLquvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds#fullDesc

You can take folic acid all the way through, it won’t do any harm.

Bit confused by the midwife telling you to find an alternative...

That’s odd from the midwife; mine told me that the most important time was during the first 12 weeks and it was up to me if I continued after that. I took Tesco ones which contained folic acid throughout

Thank you, both! I was very confused to discover that all other vitamins in Boots, etc. also contained folic acid. The midwife telling me to find an alternative made me think that perhaps I could be harming my baby by taking this particular brand with folic acid.

Thanks again for your help!

I was given healthy start vitamins at 12 weeks and I've to take them all the way throughout my pregnancy. I was given just folic acid when I went to the gp when I found out I was pregnant and stopped them at 12 weeks which is when I continued to take my vitamins which also contains a smalle dose of folic acid. Very odd advice from your midwife.

Over supplementing with folic acid is being blamed for the rise in tongue tie which is why some midwives are suggesting the switch. This is fairly new research so isn't common knowledge yet.

Look for a pregnancy supplement with folate rather than folic acid. Folate is the natural form of the vitamin and is utilised better in the body leading to fewer problems with over supplementing.

Sorry I'm in a hurry to get out so my post sounds very robotic! But that's why in a nutshell.

I should quickly add that the over supplementing comes from so many of our staple foods being fortified with folic acid and pregnancy vitamins also co raining high levels. Problem is it's synthetic so some people struggle to utilise it effectively. Defo look for folate rather than folic acid, but you may need to go to a health food shop rather than boots!

Have you got a link to that research Flaming? I take a high dosage of folic acid because of epilepsy meds, and my DS1 did indeed have a severe tongue tie. But we thought it was just one of those things. I still would (and am now in pregnancy 2) continue to take the high dose of folic acid though - tongue tie is preferable to neural tube defect if you have to choose. Would be interested to see research.

Apologies for the tardy reply thepatchworkcat

I don't have a link as the study is currently underway at Kings so hasn't been published yet. I have a number of friends involved in the study and the doctors conducting it have spoken of the evidence very much pointing to this.

I wonder where the OP is based as it seems that the clinics around our local area seem to be advising against over supplementing with folic acid. Kings is our local antenatal unit so this may have something to do with it.

No problem Flaming thanks for your reply! I’ll stick with my folic acid for now anyway, I’m fully expecting another tongue tied little one and it could just be genetic anyway, apparently DH and both have moderate ones although we’d never realised and fed ok as babies. I shall just be prepared for it this time round!

Absolutely! I really think tongue tie should be routinely checked for as it's so common now.

The genetic link is definitely present. It's a common polymorphism on the MTHFR gene that causes this issue so genetics absolutely do come in it.

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

*come into it

I've just been thinking of this as I'm now 13 weeks but am also epileptic so worried about the impact of my drugs on neural tube defects. Midwife seems to know v little about epilepsy (as lovely as she is) so perhaps a question for my consultant.

Thanks Flaming

Stresshead are you on the high dose of folic acid? I have epilepsy too and take lamotrigine which why I take the folic. In my experience midwives and GPs don’t know much about epilepsy so definitely talk to your consultant. In my last pregnancy I had several extra growth scans and consultant appointments so am expecting the same again.

I am Patchwork, and am also taking Lamotrigine, have been taking the high dose FA since I was diagnosed earlier in the year. Time for another call to the consultant's secretary I think! Congratulations on your pregnancy.

Oh good Stresshead and congrats to you too. Obviously I don’t know what your dose is - I’m only on 100mg a day which is pretty low relative to some people. My first DS turned out just fine with no ill effects.

I’ve seen this elsewhere this week.

I thought the tt and folic acid link was that some cant metabolise synthetic folic acid and need folate instead, and that tt among other midline defects are linked to not enough folic acid. So taking the folic acid might not be what you personally need. The genetic defect is relatively rare but common enough to be something to be aware of.

My mw explained that women feel pressured into taking expensive pregnancy tablets and only really need vitamin d after 12 weeks.

But that’s just my understanding of it all.