Preventing birth defects

For over a decade it has been common knowledge that taking folic acid supplements 3 months prior to conception and during the first 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy will reduce the risk of giving birth to a child with Neural Tube Defects (NTD). However, a recent review conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has evaluated whether folic acid in a multivitamin supplement reduces the overall risk for birth defects.

The researchers findings were conclusive: the use of multivitamins containing folic acid prior to and during pregnancy reduced birth defects by at least 15% (such as cardiovascular, limb, urinary tract, cleft and other anomalies) in addition to the previously demonstrated preventative effects of folic acid on NTD.

Women are now able to actively reduce an important portion of birth defects otherwise unpreventable by simply taking a multivitamin supplement containing folic acid on a daily basis 3 months prior to conception and throughout pregnancy.

Women are encouraged to take folic acid as part of a multivitamin supplement rather than taking a tablet of folic acid alone.

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