Women planning pregnancy should increase their intake of folic acid as much as possible since it could play a key role in reducing as many as half of certain birth defects, according to new guidelines released Wednesday.
The recommendations were produced for health care professionals by a multidisciplinary panel of experts from the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada and Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.
Women with no personal health risks, a planned pregnancy and a diet of foods rich in folate should take a multivitamin containing between 0.4 and one milligram of folic acid at least two to three months before conception and throughout pregnancy, the recommendations say.
However, women who are at higher risk, including those who are smokers, obese, diabetic or with previous history of spina bifida in the family should be supplementing their diet with multivitamins containing five milligrams of folic acid, three months prior to and up to 12 weeks following conception.
After the first 12 weeks, in both at-risk and normal pregnancies, women should take a multivitamin containing between 0.4 and one mg of folic acid, and keep taking it as long as breastfeeding continues.
Read the full story on CBC News
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