Benefits of having folic acid supplements before conceiving- Dr. Nupur Sood

More and more women are getting aware about preconceptional counselling and we are very happy about it. The other things to be added to the list is to take folic acid supplements. Now especially in the first time of having a concept of preconceptional counselling, you obviously meet a doctor and 4 mg of folic acid supplements are started, the reason why it is started is the risks of neural tube defect is higher if there is a deficiency of your body with it. So do not imagine that it happens only for your first pregnancy. It could happen in your later pregnancies also. So sometimes what happens is in your first pregnancy, you area primipara, you have the stores for the folic acid. So they are utilised during the pregnancy and but the time to are planning for your nest pregnancy even if it is after a good gap of 2 to 5 years you might be slightly deficient in it and if you have not taken it, as a preconceptional supplement, there is still a chance of developing a neural tube defect. So it is very important to start with the folic acid supplement. There is an interesting combination with Vitamin B12 because that deficiency is also proven many times and these supplements are easily available and given across the table to our patients and they have to be taken for once daily after meal for a good 3 months is what is advisable and even if you conceive while taking the supplements, you just continue it right into your pregnancy for the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy. So it is very safe and is a very simple way of preventing bigger issue like a neural tube defect.