Folic Acid

[Bethers]

I can't handle regular vitamins but we are going to ttc in 2007. I was told by my NP to start taking Folic Acid. Is anyone else doing this that's trying to conceive and could you handle this when suffering from HG?

[bibliojo]

Hi Bethers,

I am taking 1 mg of folic acid in addition to regular vitamins and 100mg of B6. I could not handle any vitamins when pregnant with my son, but my understanding is that it is that it is the very early weeks (I think weeks 3 - 9) that are the most crucial to have the folic acid as this is when the spine is developing. So if you are taking them beforehand you are building up your stores of folic acid/eliminating any folic acid defecincies and hopefully maybe you won't get sick early on and will still be able to take them for a portion of those weeks. I had taken my vitamins before getting pregnant and was only able to continue taking them up to week 6 or 7 and my son turned out fine. Amanda (Kadinga) should know more about this as she is our resident folic acid "expert" She has a mild form of spina bifida and so it was essential that she continue taking a high dosage of folic acid through out her entire pregnancy with her dd even though it made her sicker. She may be able to give you some more information.

Joanna

[Kadinga]

Hi Bethers,

I have Spina Bifida (thankfully quite mildly) so I take a high dose of folate, 5mg. I've heard here that taking folate before you get pg is supposed to actually help you to not be so sick when you are pg. I don't have anything personally to compare it to, so I don't know about that.

I have heard quite a few personal stories about the folate making women sicker when they are pg. For example, my SIL (who has to take the really high dose like me because her husband, my brother, and I are from the same genetic tree) had no NV at all in her family history but was quite sick (normal morning sickness) throughout the first trimester when she took the folate.

However, there is no official research to support this theory. Recent discussions with my various doctors have brought me to the thought that it would have been difficult for the folate to have made things so severe for me, as I was digesting so little while the HG was at it's worst. Weighing up the risk of a child of mine living with even my limitted set of complications (and they can be SO much worse than what I have) against 9 months of turning myself inside out on a daily basis, my baby's needs win every time. Folate doses have so significantly reduced the incidence of my disability that I would never not take the folate.

If you want to know more about it, one Spina Bifida information website is www.sbv.org.au . This is my local Spina Bifida foundation's website.

The main point is that the folate is most important in the earliest stage of pregnancy. If you and your partner have no genetic connection to Spina Bifida, 1mg or even .5mg should be enough for you to take to rule out the random incidence of the condition. Any that you digest is better than none.

good luck with your planning

Amanda

[bibliojo]

I thought I would dig up the info that has been previously shared about folic acid if you were interested. This is what Robin was told by her perinotologist.

[folic acid could help with nausea]according to my peri that I saw this week. He gave me a script for 4000mgs (800 is the normal amount taken). Apparently, too little folic acid can make you nauseated. Folic acid helps with the building of red blood cells, which are an rampant production in the begining of pregnancy. If you become "depeleted" of these, you can become nasueted and anmeic. I thought this was very interesting. He wants me to take this prior to TTC and into the beginning of pregnancy.

This struck me as so interesting, as I had never heard of this. I looked it up on the web and he is right! Its also interesting that my Mom has always had a B vitamin definecy. (Folic acid is another B viatmin). Another hereditary trait that could play into HG!

Joanna

[Bethers]

Thanks for all the help you guys have provided me on this one.