Frequently Asked Questions

The information provided in this section is not meant to suggest any medical course of action without further discussion with your healthcare provider.

Questions:

What is the difference between folic acid and folate?

Folate is a type of vitamin B, naturally found in foods (see table). Folic acid is a synthetic compound used to fortify food and added in prenatal supplements.

What is spina bifida?

Spina bifida is the most common form of neural tube defect. This is a birth defect that occurs when the neural tube fails to close properly during the early weeks of pregnancy, creating abnormalities of the spine, brain or skull that can result in stillbirth or lifelong disability.

What are the chances of having a baby with a major malformation at birth?

For each pregnancy, there is a 1 to 3% risk of having a baby with a major malformation. This is what is called the baseline risk. This risk can be increased due to several reasons such as maternal age, medical or family history, exposures to radiation, unsafe drugs or chemicals, known to cause birth defects. However, the risk of having a child with birth defects can be decreased by at least 15% by taking a multivitamin containing folic acid before and during pregnancy. If you are concerned with the chances of having a child with a malformation you should discuss this matter with your doctor.

Should I take a multivitamin supplement only during the first months of pregnancy and toward the end of my pregnancy or continuously throughout my pregnancy?

It is recommended to take a multivitamin supplement throughout your entire pregnancy. Vitamins and minerals are needed at different stages of your pregnancy and for different purposes. For example, multivitamins containing folic acid are crucial before and during pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects and other birth defects (cardiovascular, urinary tract, neuroblastoma, orofacial, cleft). Recent studies suggest that a multivitamin containing folic acid may also reduce the risk of gestational hypertension (preeclampsia). It is recognized that women with low folic acid blood levels during the third trimester have a 1.6-fold increased risk of developing gestational hypertension.

Should I take folic acid alone or included within a prenatal multivitamin supplement?

Recent research suggests that additional protective benefits against birth defects can be achieved by taking folic acid as part of a multivitamin supplement. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the United States has evaluated the role that multivitamins containing folic acid play in the reduction of birth defects. Their findings are consistent with the notion that periconceptional multivitamin use reduces the overall occurrence of birth defect by at least 15% (such as cardiovascular, urinary tract, orofacial, cleft and other anomalies) in addition to the previously demonstrated effects on Neural Tube Defects.