FOLIC ACID

All women should take vitamins that contains folic acid BEFORE they get pregnant.

Neural tube defects occur 25 to 29 days after a woman gets pregnant. At that time, many women are not even aware that they are pregnant.
Because these defects form so early, you should begin taking vitamins that contain folic acid before you get pregnant. 

It's hard to get enough folic acid from your diet.  That's why it's better to take vitamins that contain at least 400mcg or 0.4mg of folic acid and enhance your intake with folate rich foods.
Take a look at this chart at www.folicacid.ca.
Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of folate.  One cup will provide you with approximately 0.055mg.  BUT you need at least 0.4mg a day so you would need to eat just over 7 cups of romaine lettuce a day to just get the minimum!

When I volunteer at the prenatal fairs, I see many woman pass by my booth with just a glance.  I really hope it's because they already know all about folic acid and don't need to stop for information but know that's often not the case.  Many woman think they are covered because they started taking folic acid as soon as they found out they were pregnant and many woman are optimistic that the worst case scenario just won't happen to them and I can certainly understand that.

When woman do stop to chat, it's a difficult message to hear when they are already expecting and they didn't know that folic acid was suppose to be taken before they got pregnant.  So, I tell them the statistics!
In Canada, approximately 1 in 1300 babies are born with a neural tube defect.  If they would have taken at least 0.4mg of folic acid, it would have helped reduce the risk by more than 70%!

ANY WOMAN can have a child with a neural tube defect.  There are high risk woman that should take a lot more folic acid prior to conceiving and if you fall in a high risk group, should consult with your family physician or family planner.

I'm not an expert on folic acid or on neural tube defects and I defer the questions I don't know the answer to back to the Folic Acid website or the Spina Bifida Association of Ontario.  I'm a mom of a child with Spina Bifida and when Rylie was born, the statistics were 1 in 700 babies were born with a neural tube defect in Canada each year and now its 1 in 1300.  I know how important Folic Acid education is and how it can make a difference!

AND AS I TELL WOMAN AT THE PRENATAL FAIRS....

Now you know!  Tell all your girlfriends they should take at least 0.4mg Folic Acid!