Virginia Folic Acid Campaign

Vision

Our vision is to eliminate all folic acid preventable neural tube defects.

Mission

Our mission is to increase folic acid consumption among women of childbearing age in order to decrease the number of babies born with neural tube defects.

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Prevention

Take a multivitamin every day.

• Because over 50% of pregnancies are not planned, women should take a multivitamin containing at least 400 micrograms (or 0.4 milligrams) of folic acid every day.
• If you want, you can just buy 400 microgram folic acid vitamins pills alone.  They are small and easy to swallow.
  
  

Eat healthy.

• Eat a well-balanced diet that includes lots of fruits, vegetables, pasta, rice, bread, and cereal.
• Many grain products have been enriched and fortified with folic acid, so check the labels before your buy.
• Some cereals already have all the folic acid your need.

Frequently Asked Questions

(Source: United States Department of Health and Human Services, womenshealth.gov)

What is folic acid?

Folic acid is a B vitamin. Folic acid helps the body make healthy new cells

Why should women take folic acid?

All women need folic acid. When a woman has enough folic acid before and during pregnancy, it can help prevent major birth defects of her baby’s brain or spine.

Be sure to get enough folic acid every day. Start before you are pregnant. Folic acid is needed during the first few weeks, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. And half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are not planned. That is why it’s so important to start taking folic acid each day, even when you are not planning to get pregnant.

Folic acid might also have other benefits for men and women of any age. Some studies show that folic acid might help prevent heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.

How much folic acid should you take?

Read the descriptions below to see how much folic acid you should take. Check off the one that applies to you.

You are able to get pregnant. Take 400 mcg of folic acid every day.

You are pregnant. Take 600mcg of folic acid every day.

You are breastfeeding. Take 500mcg of folic acid every day.

You had a baby with spina bifida or anencephaly and want to get pregnant again. Talk with your doctor, and ask for a prescription for a higher dose of folic acid. You should take 4,000 micrograms (4,000 mcg) starting at least one to three months before getting pregnant and during the first 3 months of pregnancy. That’s 10 times the normal amount! But don’t try to get the larger amount by taking more than one multivitamin or prenatal vitamin a day. You could get too much of another vitamin that could harm you or your baby.

You had a baby with spina bifida or anencephaly. You are not planning to have another baby. Take 400 mcg of folic acid every day.

For more information about neural tube defects, please visit the Center’s for Disease Control and Prevention Web site http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/folicacid/faqs.htm

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Folic acid is a B vitamin that prevents certain birth defects and may reduce your risk for heart disease and certain cancers.

Make sure you get enough folic acid every day through a multivitamin or folic acid pill and eat healthy.

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