Folic acid advice

Hiya hun. I had to take folic acid last year for a few months as I had low folate (vitamin B12) in my blood. I'd tried the over the counter ones as well as the ones you can buy in the supermarket, but they made me feel sick, so i stopped taking them as I was told by my doctor to buy some from the shop or a pharmacy, but whe I looked on the NHS England website, it said that if a lady needs to take folic acid and she's (i can't remember which type it said) diabetic then she needs a higher dose of folic acid, which can only be prescribed by your doctor, which i was as I prescribed 5mg of folic acid and I felt much better after I'd started taking them.

I'd suggest asking your doctor for advice hun as they maybe able to help you to figure out which are the best for you as you may need a higher dose than the ones that are sold else where.

Hi,

Thanks for your reply. I spoke to the doctor a couple of days ago, who said to just get over the counter or a brand on the shelves. I've just had some blood tests taken, which I'm guessing didn't show up any vitamin deficiencies or signs of diabetes, as the doctor said all results were fine! So will try over the counter first I think, but thank you for letting me know they made you feel sick, as I'll know it could be the folic acid if I start to feel that way! I can then speak to the doctor if this happens! Did you take actual tablets when you had the over the counter and supermarket ones? I've seen online that there are chewable folic acid available and didn't know if they were or weren't as effective as tablets!

I had actual tablets as I didn't know that u can get chewable ones.

Hi Lucy, it's Sarah, Netmums' midwife here.

How exciting that you're trying for a baby and yes, you are absolutely right to be thinking about supplements (in particular Folic Acid) before you conceive.

Research shows us that taking 400mcg of Folic Acid prior to conceiving and during pregnancy helps your baby's neural tube development which can prevent conditions like Spina Bifida.

However, as with most supplements the body needs other minerals and vitamins to aide maximum absorption - Vitamin C is really important to help your body get the most from your Folic Acid supplements so it might be worth having a glass of orange juice when you take them or see if you can find a good multivitamin you can tolerate. Remember though if you are trying to get pregnant, or are pregnant, then you need to avoid too much Vitamin A which is why it's worth seeking out a multivitamin which has been made for mums-to-be or those having a baby.

In addition to Folic Acid we recommend women who are trying to get pregnant and who are having a baby take between 800-1000iu of Vitamin D too. Not only is it good for your health but it will help your baby's bones and teeth develop. Again taking Vitamin K, Magnesium and Zinc alongside Vitamin D will really help your body get maximum benefit.

I hope this helps, and good luck!

Best wishes

Midwife Sarah

Hi Sarah,

Thank you for your reply. The information you gave was very useful, I will definitely be taking the folic acid with a glass of orange juice from now on, I've just started taking the tablets today! I have already started taking some vitamin D chewable tablets as well. I did start taking pregnacare in January, but 2 days in, I had some very strange and unwanted symptoms and then a UTI and my period arrived 8 days early, so I stopped taking them and am a bit wary of trying to take other multivitamin tablets now! Are there any good ones that you can recommend? Thank you, Lucy