08/09/2021
Awareness Week, September 12-18, 2021, is an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of folic acid in the prevention of birth defects. Folic acid is a B-vitamin that is necessary for proper cell growth. If taken before and during early pregnancy, folic acid can prevent up to 70% of some serious birth defects of the brain and spine, called neural tube defects. Use the messages and resources below and join the nationwide effort to raise awareness of folic acid!
Key Messages for Women of Reproductive Age
CDC urges all women of reproductive age who could become pregnant to consume 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid each day.
It’s important that all people who can become pregnant get 400 mcg of folic acid daily to help prevent some major birth defects of a developing baby’s brain & spine.
Get your 400 mcg folic acid daily from a vitamin with folic acid, eating fortified foods like some breads, breakfast cereals, and corn masa flour, and eating folate-rich foods from a varied diet.
Folic acid is the only form of folate that has been shown to help prevent neural tube defects. Start a healthy habit by getting 400 mcg of folic acid every day!
Woman holding bottle of vitamins. Text reads "Trying to get pregnant soon? Get 400 mg of folic acid every day. If you have enough folic acid before and during early pregnancy, it can prevent many of the serious birth defects of a baby's brain and spine."
Key Messages for Healthcare Professionals
Encourage your patients to get 400 mcg of folic acid each day to help prevent neural tube defects, serious birth defects of the brain and spine. Major birth defects of the baby’s brain or spine occur very early in pregnancy (3-4 weeks after conception), before most women know they are pregnant.
Studies have shown that a woman who consumes 400 mcg of folic acid each day generally has enough folate in her blood to help prevent neural tube defects, regardless of her MTHFR C677T genotype. Check out the CDC's resource, MTHFR Gene and Folic Acid, and be prepared to answer your patients’ questions.