Folic acid pregnancy - why and when to start taking folic acid?

It is one of the first questions you will get from your midwife when you are pregnant: “Are you already taking folic acid?”  

Taking folic acid is general advice given by GPs and midwives to women who want to become pregnant or already are. But why is folic acid so important during pregnancy?

Folic acid is a B vitamin, vitamin B11 to be precise. In America, France and Germany, folic acid is also known as vitamin B9.

You find folic acid in food in the form of folate. It occurs naturally in green vegetables such as spinach, Brussels sprouts and broccoli, but also in eggs, meat and whole grain products.

Your body can only store a limited supply of folic acid, so you depend on your diet. When you are pregnant, your body needs a higher dose of folic acid. That is why the advice is: take folic acid before and during pregnancy!

A folic acid supplement ensures that the folate status in your body remains adequate. A low folate status in a pregnant woman is a risk factor for the development of spina bifida in the developing baby. 

You can also use a folic acid supplement in the form of folate. Folate also keeps your folate status adequate. And it contributes to the growth of your unborn child during pregnancy. This is why folic acid (or folate) is actively recommended by midwives.

But folic acid is an important nutrient not only during pregnancy. Folic acid has many more benefits. For example, it is good for memory, learning performance and concentration, and contributes to the proper functioning of your healthy immune system.

Folic acid is the synthetic form of B11. If you take folic acid, it still needs to be converted into folate in the body before you can use it. So it is much less efficient. 

In almost all (cheap) supplements, you will usually find this synthetic form of folic acid. Simply because it is a much cheaper raw material, but therefore also less efficient for your body.

Folate is the active or, more precisely, the biologically available form of folic acid.  And therefore also the best form for your body to use.

We actually explained it a little above. Folate is the most useful form for your body. It is the essential nutrient as it occurs in our body. 

So pay attention! On packaging that only states folic acid, the synthetic form is used, and this is not active folate. The active form of folic acid that is directly available to the body, folate, is listed on a label as: folate, folate, 5-methyl-tetrahydrofolate, L-methylfolate, 5-MTHF or Metfolin.

Folic acid, Vitamin B12 and B6 work closely together. Combine these vitamins in 1 capsule for the most optimal effect and also to ensure that a deficiency in 1 of these vitamins is not masked.

Also pay attention to the form you are going to take for both B12 and B6. Adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin are natural variants of B12. For B6, pyridoxal-5-phosphate is a natural variant and pyridoxine is a synthetic variant.

In our webshop you will find the best form of folic acid in the multivitamin Ultimate Multi Mama. Combined with B12 and B6 and another 26 vitamins and minerals. A high-quality multivitamin specially formulated for women who want to become pregnant or who are pregnant.

The advice is to take folic acid (the natural form, folate) 4 weeks before you become pregnant. This is because your body needs time to absorb it properly. That is why the advice is to start taking folic acid when you stop using contraception.

Now it is not so obvious that you can plan a pregnancy and it can easily be that a pregnancy takes longer to happen. The advice is to continue taking folic acid during that period. And it cannot hurt to use the right form of folic acid for a longer period.

Are you pregnant? Then continue to use the folic acid supplement during the first three months of your pregnancy.

The midwife recommends a minimum dosage of 400 mcg of folic acid per day.  The MultiMama is a pregnancy multivitamin that is specially formulated for women who want to become pregnant and during pregnancy. With 400mcg of folate. A separate folic acid supplement is then no longer needed.

The benefit of this multivitamin supplement? It also contains all kinds of other vitamins and minerals that you can use well to support your health during your pregnancy.

Do you find out that you are pregnant and you have not been taking folic acid? Then the advice is to start as soon as possible. Choose a well-absorbed form of folic acid such as a high-quality multivitamin with the best usable form of folic acid: folate.