Folic acid

[Jeyla1230]

Hi I've recently found out I'm pregnant (not sure how long will get appointment after Christmas sometime only found out yesterday). Someone said on here to start on folic acid ASAP is it ok I got it from boots till I get appointment? The woman behind the counter says doctors normally prescribed higher dose but this is ok? I just wanted to double check. Thank you

How is your diet? The recommendation is a blanket one to everyone to make sure the women with poor diets have enough. A healthy diet doesn't really need it but you do pee out the extra. So try to eat folic acid rich foods (eat lots of veggies basically) and the supplement will be enough. 400mg is exactly what NHS recommends for pregnancy up to 12 weeks unless you are high risk for neural tube defects.

My diet is all over really, I have 3 meals a day. Eating more than normal. Had large pizza for dinner the other night. Then night before had burger and savaloy. If anything I have pasta alot lately. I have a heart shaped womb so I don't know if I'm high risk for that. But will ask doctors when I have an appointment

What’s your BMI? You only need a higher dose if you have a BMI of over 30. Otherwise the stuff you can buy over the counter is absolutely fine.

I'm not sure but I googled bmi 30 and I am lower than that. Thank you for your response

I was just taking Pregnacare while pregnant and even with my BMi being very high nobody told me to take more. I think you are just fine with what you have and you can talk about these things at your booking appointment. And congratulations! What a lovely Xmas present for you!

Doesn't matter what your weight is, baby needs folic acid so the boots ones are fine. Just keep taking them until your midwife tells you otherwise. Congratulations 🎉

Thank you everyone I appreciate your help.

Doctors won’t prescribe folic acid, your appointments will be done through midwives. You just need to be taking folic acid and vitamin D as a bare minimum

That will be fine to start with - i took pregnacare but its the same dosage in the standard pregnacare anyway. At your booking appointment (usually 8-12weeks), your midwife will tell you if you need a higher dose. My BMI at booking was something like 29.7 so i was told to take the higher dose. Unlike pp, my midwives dont prescribe it, but told me to just submit a request through my GP website, who sent it to the chemist and i collected it from there. Took it until my 16week appointment and then was told i could stop so just carried on with the standard pregnacare until the end of my pregnancy. Congratulations!

Any folic acid is fine boots, supermarket etc.

You won't get it a prescription. And there's no need for a GP appointment.

When you call the surgery ask for a midwife appointment which will likely take place at week 8-11 (depending on where you live).

Congrats.

Thank you, first time here so wasn't sure how things work

Thank you, I did see pregnacare next to it, but someone on here mentioned folic acid so brought the folic acid

Thank you so much for this information, first time doing this so I have no clue what I'm doing but thank you to you and previous comments helping.

Pregnacare also has folic acid included in it. It has other vitamins in it too. It’s basically an all round tablet. What you have is fine though as it’s the folic acid which important. Vitamin D is also recommended.

Pregnacare and other pregnancy vitamins will have the recommended doses of folic acid included in them so that will be fine too.

They might if the woman requires a higher dose e.g. 5mg can be prescribed for those deemed at higher risk

Thank you, I will get that after Christmas. Very nerve racking first time.

Thank you

Thank you, I'll speak to midwife regarding this as I have bicornuate uterus so possible be a high risk

A bicornuate uterus won't make you higher risk for a neural tube defect (which is what the folic acid is to try and prevent) however it does make the pregnancy higher risk in terms of preterm birth. You'll be referred to a consultant and should have an appointment quite soonish into your pregnancy.

You don't have to go and buy pregnancare specifically- just folic acid and vit d tablets are fine, or any pregnancy vitamins. Pregnancare tablets are really big and made me feel really sick. Supermarket own brands are often smaller. Think I took boots and Tesco ones.

Thank you so much 🙏very useful information

The higher dose will be prescribed for high BMI, some medical conditions and family history of neural tube defects. There should be info on the NHS website.

Thank you, I'll look on there

Some medication means you need to take a higher dose prescription folic acid but you should have been told that when prescribed (rheumatology warned me when they prescribed me sulfasalazine and they wrote to my GP and asked them to prescribe a high dose).

You probably don't need to take a high dose of folic acid unless you have a high BMI, a family history of neural tube defects or take certain medication, or a doctor told you you needed a higher dose previously.

Thank you, first time doing this haven't seen a midwife or anyone yet. Found our few days ago, going to try and get appointment as soon as possible.