Why is folic acid important during pregnancy?
Folic acid is a B vitamin found in many supplements and fortified foods. It’s the synthetic form of folate. Folic acid is used by your body to make new cells and produce DNA. It’s required for normal growth and development throughout your life.
Taking folic acid is particularly vital before and during pregnancy. It’s important for the proper organ development of a developing baby.
Research shows that taking folic acid before you get pregnant may help prevent birth defects including serious neural tube defects such as spina bifida, encephalocele (rarely), and anencephaly.
What are the health benefits of taking folic acid during pregnancy?
Approximately 3,000 babies are born with neural tube defects in the United States each year. Normally, the neural tube develops into the spinal cord and brain by 28 days after conception.
If the neural tube doesn’t close properly, neural tube defects occur. Anencephaly is a condition in which the brain doesn’t develop properly. Babies born with anencephaly cannot survive.
Babies born with spina bifida or encephalocele may face multiple surgeries, paralysis, and long-term disability.
According to a 2015 review of studiesTrusted Source, maternal folic acid supplementation significantly decreases the risk of congenital heart defects. These defects occur in 8 out of every 1,000 birthsTrusted Source in the United States.
According to the American Heart AssociationTrusted Source, congenital heart defects happen when the heart or blood vessels don’t grow normally before birth. They may impact the interior walls of the heart, the heart valves, or the arteries and veins of the heart.
ResearchTrusted Source also shows folic acid supplementation in early pregnancy may help prevent cleft lip and cleft palate.
These birth defects occur if parts of the mouth and lip do not merge together properly during the first 6 to 10 weeks of pregnancy. One or more surgeries are usually needed to correct the condition.
