CDC urges women to take 400 mcg of folic acid every day, starting at least one month before getting pregnant, to help prevent major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine. Our bodies use it to make new cells. Everyone needs folic acid.
Why folic acid is so important
Folic acid is very important because it can help prevent some major birth defects of the baby's brain and spine (anencephaly and spina bifida).
Folic acid is a B vitamin. |
Women needs
400 micrograms (mcg)
every day.
When to start taking folic acid
For folic acid to help prevent some major birth defects, a woman needs to start taking it at least one month before she becomes pregnant and while she is pregnant.
Every woman needs folic acid every day, whether she’s planning to get pregnant or not, for the healthy new cells the body makes daily. Think about the skin, hair, and nails. These – and other parts of the body – make new cells each day.
How a woman can get enough folic acid
There are two easy ways to be sure to get enough folic acid each day:
Listen to an audiocast about folic acid.
Facts
Cleft lip and cleft palate are birth defects that occur when a baby’s lip or mouth do not form properly.
Together, these birth defects commonly are called “orofacial clefts”. These birth defects happen early during pregnancy.
A baby can have a cleft lip, a cleft palate, or both.
Cleft lip is a birth defect ALSO traced to Folic Acid deficiency.
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