Dangerously Low Folic Acid??!!

[tears_of_joy]

When i went to see my dr he told me that my folic acid was dangerously low, he told me the risks that could occur if we didnt get it on track and put me on Megafol5 which i take each morning, i am also taking pregnancy and breastfeeding multivitamins which have a little folic acid too, when i asked the dr if it was ok to take these together, as i had heard that you can take too much folic acid supplements, he said at this stage no amount is too much for you! It has me worried now about what harm may come to my bubs.

Has anyone else had very low Folic Acid and bubs been healthy?

Is there any thing else i should/could do or are these supplements enough?

Thanks ladies

[Muppity]

Hi there

I haven't experienced it myself but it sounds like your Dr it treating it appropriately.

As for the possible risks. They are only risks. There is a link between folate levels and certain issues but it does not mean that everyone with low folate levels will have these difficulties and it also doesn't mean that people with high levels are off the hook.

I know that this won't really put your mind at rest but I think so long as you are doing the very best that you can for your bub and getting proper medical care then it is the best that you can possibly do.

Good luck with the rest of your pg.

[AJC]

tears of joy. I'm on megafol too, ob prescribed this after my second m/c. I also take conceive well gold and ob said that the multi's usually have only a small level of folate so it won't hurt to take it too. You could also look at increasing folate rich foods in your diet such as oranges, spinach, broccoli, peanuts, cauliflower, lentils & baked beans.

[River]

The megafol 5 and multi take you to a total of 6mg folic acid per day, the dose where you even need to be slightly worried is 11mg - so you are fine. Excess folic acid gets urinated out of the system, which is why its important to take it daily.

Best of luck.

[tears_of_joy]

Thanks heaps ladies

It has made me feel a bit better. I will also try eating some more folate rich foods.

again thanks.

[Netix]

Thanks for the info River, my dr said I am low in folate too, so I have megafol 5 and a pg multi, so I now know I can take both for a while. When I became pg with Steph, I was already taking megafol (being hopeful), and this time its just a matter of trying to play catch up as it were.

[StephV]

My friend has stopped taking her multi vitamins, she thinks she gets enough folate in her vegies....should I try and convince her to take them?

She is having a crappy pregnancy with really bad pelvic pain (she's on crutches its that bad) so I don't want to stress her more if I can avoid it.

I'm with my sister on this one who said, "knowing what could go wrong and not doing anything about it - how would you feel if something went wrong?"

[Pretty Butterfly]

The risks of not having enough folate are quite small, but still there. Little Kane, (cleft lip and palate) is proof of that!!!

Most pregnancy multi's only have .5mg of folate, and a lot of experts now reccomend the 5mg. Taking both is fine, but taking a little more also wont help!! I asked my doc if i should be on even MORE, due to Kane, and he said i'll only wee it out!!

So I tell everyone to take the megafol5 just to be safe!!

If this one little tablet could of saved Kane his scar, and all these surgeries, I'd of taken it had i known...