Didn't take Folic Acid pre pregnancy and So So Terrified can anyone relate at all

[RedSetter24]

Hi, I'm three weeks pregnant and didn't take folic acid pre-pregnancy.
I have been taking it for the last 2 weeks. I feel so desperate and I'm in a Google wormhole now I realise the benefits of Folic Acid. I realise how stupid I've been. I genuinely thought it was a supplement that aided pregnancy I wasn't aware of its need pre-pregnancy. This now seems so stupid and it's everywhere being talked about. The more I'm finding out and researching the more scared I am that their neural tube with be affected. Has anyone got any positive stories of not taking it. I'm so worried I've doomed my baby and I'm terrified about any upcoming scans. I want to go back in time and don't know what to do

@RedSetter24 I think you have your dates wrong - pregnancy is counted from the date of your last period not the date of the egg transfer. If you are 22 days post transfer and had a day 5 transfer you would be about 6 weeks pregnant.

The IVF clinic should have told you to take folic acid but don't worry now - you can't change the past. Buy and start taking as soon as you can. Unless there is a family history of neural tube defects and similar, lots of people don't take it before they get a positive test so try not to worry too much.

@RedSetter24 this is a bit of a sidetrack obviously but you are still more than 3 weeks pregnant according to how it's officially worked out - I know it's weird, I know my date of conception too and it took me ages to get my head round it! Your pregnancy is counted from the first day of your last period, and is then 40 weeks. So if the embryo transfer happened say 2 weeks after that, you would be considered 5 weeks.

Anyway, really don't worry about the folic acid, most people don't take it pre pregnancy. Anxiety can be overwhelming at the beginning I know, try and talk to your GP or midwife when you can. And also try and stop Googling, it throws up all sorts of things that can play on that anxiety!

Never took any folic acid or any other vitamins pre-during-after pregnancy. Both DC healthy. They are in primary school and their attendance was 98% last 2 years running (2 % was sneaky holiday). I do not believe in all those pregnancy vitamins if you are healthy and eat varied diet.

Most people in the world over age 30ish probably did not get folic acid.
I didn't take it with my first child because it was a long time ago and nobody told me, she is fine and no problems at all.
I did take it when TTC with my second child, as I mentioned to a doctor and they told me to start folic acid which was the first time I'd heard of it. I sometimes compare them both (both over 20 now!) and try to detect if there is any difference that I can attribute to the folic acid. But there are so many other contributory factors that it's impossible to say.

I think you're overly anxious.
I didn't plan my pregnancy so didn't start taking folic acid until I was around 5 weeks. I'm now 31 weeks and my baby is fine. Plenty of women haven't taken it pre-pregnancy.

@CherrySocks Well, taking folic acid is all to do with preventing neural tube defects so if your children don't have these, there's no differences between them you can attribute to folic acid 😂

I'm in my 30s and my own mother was never advised to take it.

Talk to your midwife /clinic OP but any risks are very very small.
Did your clinic not recommend taking folic acid (and potentially high dose) prior to transfer as part of prep?

As others have said, at 22 days post transfer you are 22 days plus at least a couple of weeks pregnant, depending on how many days into your cycle your transfer was. (If they’ve given you a due date you can calculate the weeks retrospectively).
Congratulations on your pregnancy x

Taking folic acid just statiscally slightly decreases a very small risk though. I took folic acid religiously for years before my pregnancy, ate bread, ate lots of vegetables. Child was diagnosed with severe spina bifida in the second trimester. Not taking folic acid is not a primary reason for a child to have a neural tube defect.

Well... You're totally wrong aren't you. 3 weeks pregnant is roughly one week post ovulation (although will vary depending on cycle length). It is possible to get a positive that early. Due to my short luteal phase, my period comes 7 days after ovulation therefore I had a clue 7 dpo ie three weeks pregnant (didn't test for a while though).
Maybe don't be so cynical and negative when someone is asking for help?

Above message was supposed to be a reply to @Wellmet but hasn't worked as a reply and won't let me edit

If you are taking it now then you should also take vit D for absorbtion. I wouldn,t worry about what you have or haven,t done up to now, But I would start takin it .

It's a population level effect. Mandatory fortification reduces cases from 52 to 35 per 100,000 births. So by just 17 per 100,000. It's a good idea to take it but keep it in perspective!

Congratulations on your pregnancy.

Didn't take it pre pregnancy or for the early part of pregnancy before I found out. So far 24 weeks pregnant and all scans are fine. :)

@ajsdx why on earth have you bumped a 6 month old thread to have a go at me for something I apologized to the OP for at the time? How about minding your own business!

Thank you for replying I didn’t see it at the time as there were negative comments so I stopped reading the replies. I just wanted to to say I am so sorry for what you went through. I really appreciate you reaching out it was really kind of you . Xx

I've never had it in both pregnancies or before them. I think they're a benefit but not a necessity

My friend didn’t know about it and only started taking it after her booking appointment- and her boy is fine xx