What if I've already had a pregnancy affected by an NTD?
5/16/2004
Centers for Disease Control
If you have already had a pregnancy affected by NTDs, you are at higher risk for having another pregnancy affected by NTDs. The U. S. Public Health Service (USPHS) recommends that you take 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folic acid every day if you are not planning to become pregnant. If you plan to become pregnant, you should consult your health care provider about the desirability of using 4 milligrams (4000 micrograms) of folic acid daily beginning one month before you start trying to get pregnant and continuing through the first three months of pregnancy. Although it appears that a lower dose, such as 0.4 milligrams, may have as great a beneficial effect as 4.0 milligrams, many health care providers recommend the higher dose. This recommendation is based on information from a rigorous scientific study involving women who had previous pregnancies affected by NTDs. This dosage should be prescribed and monitored by your health care provider. Typically, a health care provider will prescribe one prenatal vitamin plus three 1 mg tablets of folic acid a day to get this dosage. You should not take more than one prenatal or other multivitamin a day to get increased folic acid, because too much vitamin A can be harmful for the baby. Keep in mind that we do not understand all the causes of neural tube defects. We do know that 50%-70% can be prevented by consuming sufficient amounts of folic acid.
Contact: Donna Vandergraff, Phone: 765-494-8228, E-mail: vandergraff@purdue.edu
Funded by Folic Acid Council grant from March of Dimes.
