Folic Acid Intake

• Every woman of childbearing age should take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily.
• Folic acid prevents neural tube defects in a fetus growing in the mother's womb.
• Spina bifida (the spinal cord not closing correctly during fetal development) and anencephaly (partial or missing brain in an infant) are examples of neural tube defects.  Since the brain and spinal cord of a baby begin forming in the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy, it is vital that folic acid already be present in the diet, because most women do not realize they are pregnant until after the first month of pregnancy.
• Check your multivitamin label to make sure it contains 400 micrograms of folic acid.
• For more information on how to obtain enough folic acid and which foods contain folic acid, please check the required nutrients section of this website.

• http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/folicacid.html
• http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/beffolic.html
• http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/wh-folic.html
• http://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/site/c.liKWL7PLLrF/b.2642297/k.5F7C/Spina_Bifida_Association.htm