what is folic acid? Can you buy it at a store?

Question

I have been trying to get preg. for a year. Any suggestions. Can you buy folic acid at a store? Does that help you get pregnant or do you take it after your pregnant? Does it have side effects?

Answer 1

What is folic acid?
Folic acid is a B vitamin. Folic acid helps the body make healthy new cells.

Why should women take folic acid?
All women need folic acid. When a woman has enough folic acid before and during pregnancy, it can help prevent major birth defects of her baby’s brain or spine.

Be sure to get enough folic acid every day. Start before you are pregnant. Folic acid is needed during the first few weeks, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. And half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are not planned. That is why it’s so important to start taking folic acid each day, even when you are not planning to get pregnant.

Folic acid might also have other benefits for men and women of any age. Some studies show that folic acid might help prevent heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and possibly Alzheimer’s disease.

How can women get folic acid?
All women should aim to get at least 400 micrograms (400 mcg) of folic acid each day. There are a few easy ways she can do this.

Take a daily vitamin that has folic acid in it. Most multivitamins sold in the U.S. have enough. Check the label on the vitamin to be sure. It should say “400 mcg” or “100%” next to folic acid. Some labels might use the word “folate” for folic acid. Or you can take a vitamin pill that only has folic acid in it. You can find both of these types at your local grocery, drug store, or discount store.

Another way to get enough folic acid is to eat a serving of breakfast cereal that contains 100% of the daily value (DV) for folic acid each day. Check the label on the box to be sure it has enough.

Eat a healthy diet that contains lots of fruits and vegetables and other foods that have folic acid (or folate) in them or added to them. Below are foods you can eat to get folic acid (or folate).

You can find out more about folic acid by contacting the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC) at 800-994-WOMAN (9662) or the following organizations:

Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
Phone Number(s): [phone]
Internet Address: http://www.cfsan.fda.gov

National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, CDC, HHS
Phone: [phone]
Internet Address: www.cdc.gov/folicacid

March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
Phone Number(s): [phone]
Internet Address: http://www.modimes.org

Spina Bifida Association of America
Phone Number(s): [phone]
Internet Address: http://www.sbaa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=index

Answer 2

Folic acid is a B vitamin. You can buy it wherever you buy vitamins--drug stores, most supermarkets, and many other places.

Vitamins (any of them) *probably* won't help you get pregnant, and probably won't help you once you are pregnant. Unless you are undernourished, they can't help. If you eat a well-balanced diet, you are better off. You will get all the known *and* as-yet-undiscovered nutrients in their most absorbable forms. (Taking too much or the wrong forms of nutrients will do your toilet more good than they will do you; they leave your body without absorption.)

Too much folic acid isn't *likely* to harm you, but in some cases can cause allergies, nausea, or anorexia.

Answer 3

Folic acid doesn't help you get pregnant, but it is important to help prevent birth defects so if you're trying you should take it. It's another name for one of the B vitamins. There are no side effects. For more information, the March of Dimes has a lot of info about it: http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/173_769.asp

Answer 4

Folic acid is in orange juice it helps prevent spineabiffada when you are pregnant, also in the prenatal vitamins which the doctor prescribes when you are pregnant. Doesn't help you conceive but helps you have a healthy baby

Answer 5

Yes, check out the folate or folic acid content of any bottle of vitamins. I go with a 800mcg version. It won't help you get pregnant, but it will prevent some nasty birth defects. Best of luck!

Answer 6

A daily multivitamin has the recommended daily dosage (400mcg) of folic acid, and once you are pregnant the prenatal vitamins have a higher daily dose (800mcg) for your developing baby. It helps to prevent spina bifida and other birth defects.

Answer 7

folic acid is a vitamin - you can get it anywhere you can buy vitamin supplements

It doesn't help you get pregnant (I don't think) but it is important to the development of the baby - it can help prevent certain birth defects that deal with the spine development

Hope that helps!

Answer 8

yes you can get folic acid at a drug store or walmart. you take it before, during, and after you are pregnant. it's good to take it while you are trying to conceive because it helps develop the baby's brain and spine.

Answer 9

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