Q: "We're trying for a baby – do I need to start taking folic acid now or is it OK to wait until I'm pregnant? Why is it important?"
A: Julia Bradley, education manager at bpas (British Pregnancy Advisory Service) says: "It's better to start taking folic acid while planning a pregnancy (alongside aiming for a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle), as it takes a while to get enough into your bloodstream.
"Folic acid is a form of vitamin B9 which is also found naturally in food, but you can't get the quantities needed for pregnancy from a healthy diet alone. Ideally you start taking a supplement three months before you conceive up until the twelfth week of pregnancy, or at least as soon as you start trying to conceive.
"There are many pre-pregnancy vitamin supplements available in pharmacies and supermarkets, which include folic acid and also contain B12 that helps your body process it.
"Folic acid is extremely effective at reducing the risk of your baby developing a neural tube defect (NTD) such as spina bifida, which causes life-long disability, and anencephaly, where sadly the baby doesn't survive.
"About a thousand pregnancies are affected by NTDs every year in the UK. The neural tube forms very early in pregnancy, even before a woman may know she's pregnant, and that's another reason why folic acid needs to be taken before you conceive.
"Taking 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily up until the 12th week of pregnancy is recommended. Some women are at a higher risk of having a pregnancy affected by an NTD, so if you've had a previous pregnancy affected by an NTD, a BMI of 30 or above, you have diabetes or are taking epilepsy medications, you need a prescription for a higher dose of the supplement."
