Folic acid deficiency and pregnant, so scared

[Lizzyloox]

Hi ladies,
Back in May this year, I moved cities and my new doctors said they wanted to do a full blood count on me which included folate, turns out I was deficient which suprised me but then I saw the foods you need to eat to not be deficient and it made sense, I don’t tend to eat right as I should, I’m a takeaway fiend and look the junk stuff though I am a slim build I may add.
Anyway, it got to taking the 5mg as they prescribed and it made me vomit and have stomach issues, I didn’t bother getting in touch with doc about it as I knew it would be either get on with it or change diet and I was very non chalant about the whole thing and just carried on as normal, which I now regret badly, Me and partner were not trying for a baby but I’ve just found out I am pregnant and about 5 weeks at that. We weren’t trying but were so happy that this happened and want to keep but then I remembered this… that I was folic acid deficient and didn’t take my tablets, so I probably still am 😫😫 it even got to the point that I said maybe this time isn’t the right time, maybe I should terminate and try properly when I’ve took the correct medicine. I am so so terrified of defects and it will be all my fault 😔 I didn’t expect this would happen as generally we are very careful so I feel like this happened for a reason, I’m so anxious and scared and my partner thinks I’m overreacting about the whole thing and that if worst case scenario happens we’ll cross that bridge then but then the thought of terminating half way through makes me feel even more sick to my core, I’m so scared ladies, has anyone been through something like this before?

Bump

Anyone? :(

Presumably you are taking it now?

The risk of defects is low to begin with, taking folic acid does reduce it but it's definitely not the case that you're guaranteed to have a baby with neural tube defects. The likelihood is that your baby will be absolutely fine like the vast majority are.

@doodleschnoodle as soon as I found out I started taking the 5mg that I was prescribed previously, I’m praying that everything will be fine, I’ve also changed my diet right around and eating nothing but veg and salads since I found out, it’s so so scary

I would contact your gp again and check how much you should be in on in pregnancy. Since that was before pregnancy.

I didn’t start taking it until I found out at 4 weeks pregnant and many people don’t either.

I didn't start taking it until I found out I was pregnant, which was probably around the 4-5 week mark as well. I eat vegetables but not a massive amount, so I don't know if my levels were high or low before. I would suggest just making sure you are taking it now. Maybe mention it at your midwife/scan appointments that it's a concern you have. But I honestly wouldn't worry too much about it now. 🙂

Also, I don't know if you are doing this already, but it's recommended to take vitamin D supplements as well. You can buy combined pills like Pregnacare that combine all important vitamins and supplements, or you can get separate ones. I've been taking one from Boots, which combines folic acid with vitamin D. I also take iron supplements, as I don't eat much meat and have had iron deficiencies in the past.

www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/vitamins-supplements-and-nutrition/

@Blue2020 see I would but part of me doesn’t even want to know…imagine if it comes back low still, then I’ll know there’s a higher chance of something going wrong and it will eat me even more at night, I’m taking 5mg at the moment, as I was previously prescribed it and I want to make sure I’m doing my best at getting it all in so I’ve started taking that dose, when I have my first midwife appointment il explain all of this to them, it’s so scary

@ClaraSolis see me and vegetables never interacted before pregnancy 😫😫 I feel so so stupid 😔 - I will voice all my concerns to the midwife when I speak to them at my first appointment.
is it vitamin D aswell? I thought it was just folic acid. I do have pregnacare but I’m taking 5mg folic acid due to being scared it’s still low and folic acid is amongst the pregnacare vitamins so I won’t be able to take both, I’m more worried about the folic acid than anything😔

Sorry if I've misunderstood, but were you only taking pregnacare when you stopped taking the 5mg folic acid supplement or nothing at all and just diet alone when you got pregnant? Some foods are fortified with folic acid.
You don't want to ask the GP to check your levels again, because you don't want to know if they are low. Sorry, but I'm not sure what advice you are asking for then? All you can do is continue taking the 5mg and hope things work out.

You could ask a pharmacist about whether it’s ok to take both your high dose folic acid (5mg) and a general pregnancy vitimin like pregnacare which will contain 0.4mg of folic acid. You might find they say there’s no risk to doing that.

@JC03745 I’m not asking for advice, I’m asking for reassurance and experiences incase someone has been in same situation as me as I’m filled with anxiety, I know no one can know for sure but it helps to read positive experiences.
I was not taking anything before getting pregnant. My diet was not good & I have pregnacare in the house, however I haven’t took this.. I bought it as I thought I may switch later on in the pregnancy, I am taking 5mg folic acid since I found out I was pregnant not before, hope that makes sense

@warofthetimemachines good plan, I will call them tomorrow and ask

I found out about 10 days ago and in the same boat myself and my boyfriend weren’t trying but it happened. The day I found out I went to the shops and got some antenatal supplements which had the recommended amount of folic acid in. As someone mentioned above, defects are rare and there’s no guarantee that someone who has done everything they should ate properly took all the right supplements etc will have a healthy baby.
I wouldn’t stress out too much though, as long as you’re doing what you can now that’s all you can do! There are people who have had cryptic pregnancies and haven’t known they were expecting until giving birth and have had healthy babies after drinking smoking etc for the duration of their pregnancy.
It’s such a scary time I can relate to that, but discuss this with your midwife at your booking appointment and hopefully she can put your mind at ease. Fingers crossed everything is okay for you 🤍

Vitamin D is recommended together with the folic acid. When I had my first midwife appointment recently, she said to make sure I was taking both.

I suggest you do take Pregnacare together with your folic acid. The NHS website says folic acid is generally safe, even when taking more than your 5mg:

If you take too much
Folic acid is generally very safe. Taking too much is unlikely to cause any harm.
If you're worried, speak to your pharmacist or doctor.

www.nhs.uk/medicines/folic-acid/how-and-when-to-take-folic-acid/

@Jemily997 thank you so much for this and congratulations too! You are right, even when one does everything right it can still go wrong, sadly.
I am just going to hope for the very best with this

@ClaraSolis thank you, I will go to speak to a pharmacist tomorrow. If they say I can’t take both il buy a vitamin D supplement

Folic acid deficiency isn't rare, so I'd imagine that quite a lot of babies are conceived whilst the mother is deficient. You're taking it now, which is good, but call the GP tomorrow and check the correct dose for your current circumstances.

@inigomontoyahwillcox Thank you, I have done my research and 5mg is completely safe to take during pregnancy (nhs website) the only thing is I don’t know if I’m still deficient or not, though I imagine I am as it wasn’t that long ago. I would prefer not knowing if I’m still deficient as I think it would affect me mentally as even me not knowing for definite now is affecting me 😔 I was thinking to wait until my midwife appointment and mention all my concerns there

Even with a deficiency, it's very unlikely there will be any issues, and if there are they will be able to tell you and give you options at an early scan.

@Jinglesomeoftheway thank you

Hey OP.

I have pernicious anemia so yes I have folic acid and B12 deficiency.

I am currently 22 weeks pregnant and although I had been taking my 5mg for a few months before I fell pregnant, it is still a worry in general but so far all is normal.

The best advice I can give is to take it from now and mention to the midwife on you booking in appointment. Try not to worry to much as a lot of womam dont take vitamins before falling pregnant.

@Halo20 thank you, it is honestly such a worry, I wish it wasn’t causing me as much anxiety as it is, it’s in my mind all day everyday😔

Remember that knowing to take folic acid in pregnancy is a pretty new thing, historically speaking. Women had babies for millennia without it, including many very poor peasant women who lived on very limited diets. But very few babies had defects. Tell your midwife your concerns, tell the radiologist at your 12 week scan.

@SummerInSun thank you so much. I never thought of it that way, that is true. I will, I’m terrified. My partner just got back from work now and I told him that I just can’t get this out of my head and he basically said I’m going to drive myself mad if I don’t stop, that everything will be ok and let’s just enjoy the pregnancy. Gosh it’s hard ☹️😫

I was very low before I got pregnant without knowing then found out I was pregnant and started supplementing. I still remained on the low side though. Baby turned out totally fine despite this. I think the risks are quite low but perhaps it would be good to chat to your gp about your anxiety? It's good you've turned around your diet and have started supplementing though. There's every chance that your pregnancy will be totally fine.