Folic acid not for me

Ok ladies i want to know/hear from all of you out there who decided not to take folic acid while TTC and during pregnancy why did you decide to do this.
I am curious to hear your opionons/reasons.

Oh and this is not meant to turn nasty just because i think its healthy to hear both sides of the coin as such.

My sister has 3 children and for both pregnancies (she has twins) she never took folic acid and all 3 children are fine. I dunno why she didnt take it, I never asked.

Me personally, I wouldnt risk NOT taking it. I take Elevit during TTC and pregnancy cos its 1 tablet a day with all I need (personal preference).

I guess age is something else that you would need to consider as well.

I know there are one or two on here who didn't take it, so hopefully they see this.

One school of thought is that if you have a balanced diet you'll get "enough" folate from your food.

I took it, 'cos I'm of the "better to be safe than sorry" camp, though.

Seems odd that someone wouldn't take it. It's not like extra folic acid is bad for you and even if you eat well how can you 100% guarantee that you are getting the right daily dosage?

i wasnt taken it for a while only because i kept forgetting. i am now taking it every day as it isnt worth the risk

I think thats the rate in the US. But folic acid can also help prevent other birth defects. You'll find that people who have a history of birth defects end up on an increased amount of folic acid. Spina bifida is just the most well known one when it comes to folic acid.

Diet isn't also everything.. I was on a very good diet as I had been trying to loose weight. Loads of vege and fresh foods. And then if you get morning sickness it can be very hard to maintain a balanced diet. That's just another thing to consider. And age isn't a sure thing either as I'm only turning 25 at the end of the month so I'm not in any way in the "at risk" group.

Edited by kebakat

The actual figures for NZ are really hard to find but this is what i have found. Would be interesting to know if its changed.

Despite the plethora of epidemiological research conducted on anencephalus and spina bifida, few of the studies have used multiple source case ascertainment and controlled for the effect of possible confounding factors. This paper reports the results from a study of the relationships between various risk factors and the prevalence of anencephalus and spina bifida in New Zealand during 1978-82, using case data obtained from multiple sources and a national cohort of births as the denominator. The rates of anencephalus and spina bifida in New Zealand were 0.78/1000 and 0.94/1000 total births, respectively. The rate of a neural tube defect (NTD) birth for Maori parents was less than for their non-Maori counterparts. Paternal ethnic origin and maternal ethnic origin made similar contributions to the model of anencephalus rates, but the results suggest that paternal ethnic origin is a less important risk factor in the prevalence of spina bifida. The rate of both NTD was high among female infants and low among births to women born in countries other than the British Isles and New Zealand. The rate of anencephalus showed a distinct north-south gradient, but there was no evidence of effects for maternal or paternal age, parity, urban-rural place of residence, nuptiality, social class or season of birth in the prevalence of either NTD in New Zealand.

I think it's up to the individual whether they take it or not. I dont think its bad if you decide not to take it



Edited by Oxy23

I will be using Folic.....Altho Ive been a bit slack recently in taking it every 2 - 3rd day .......As soon as Im UTD I definitely will be taking 8mg everyday, but I wont be buying elevit, just use my normal APO brand.
I guess its like not eating certain foods while pregnant due to risk of food poisining, not taking folic acid has a risk too

It's a good point Kebakat about having MS and taking another pill to be sure

I never knew that taking Folic Acid could be bad for you





Edited by LadyBee

The reason its recommended to be taken while TTC is that by the time you find out your pregnant the neural tube has already formed, and is starting to close, so if you wait till then to start taking folic acid, it may be too late to prevent defects.