Are you pregnant? Trying to conceive? Chances are, your OB would have already told you to start taking folic acid. Months before our first little bun Lia started baking in my oven, I was already taking it.👶 And now that we’re TTC again, folic is back to being my daily buddy.
What is folic and why is it important?
Folic Acid is a B vitamin, and countless studies have shown that it has important health benefits for moms-to-be and their babies, especially if it’s started months before the mommy conceives. 👍
According to whattoexpect.com, folic acid reduces the risk of:
- Neural tube defects by up to a whopping 70%. 😮 These include spina bifida (incomplete development of the spinal cord or vertebrae) and anencephaly (incomplete development of the brain).
- Miscarriage. Research has shown that because of folic acid deficiency, some women have difficulty getting or staying pregnant.
- Preterm labor. One study showed that women who took Folic acid for at least a year before getting pregnant cut their chances of preterm labor by 50% more. 😮
- Congenital heart defects.
- Gestational diabetes
- Autism in the baby
O, diba? Folic Acid is truly a pregnancy superhero!!! 🌟
How much folic acid should you take?
The recommended daily intake for all women of childbearing age is at least 400 mcg, but the requirement jumps up to 600-800 mcg during pregnancy. If you have a family history of neural-tube defects, the recommended intake should be much more, about 4,000 mcg daily.
What are the folic acid brands available in the Philippines and how much?
I went to both Mercury Drug and Watsons yesterday, 2018 February 01, and below is the list of available brands and their prices, in no particular order:
Folart 5mg
Price: PhP 9.25/capsule
Purifol 5mg
Price: 9.25/capsule
Maxifol 5mg
Price: 6.35/capsule
Foladin 5mg
Price: 7/tablet
Folicard 5mg
Price: 7 to 7.50/capsule
Iberet Folic 500
Price: 24.25 to 24.75/tablet
All brands, except Iberet Folic, contain 5mg of pure folic acid, and that’s equivalent to 5000 mcg! 😮 Iberet Folic, on the other hand, is a multivitamin with 800 mcg of folic. Personally, I take Iberet Folic because aside from the fact that it was recommended by my OB, it contains just the right amount of folic acid (plus other vitamins like iron, calcium, vitamins B 3, B2, B6, and B12). I think 5000 mcg of pure folic is way too much, considering that I only need 800 mcg max. There are varying opinions whether you could or could not take too much folic. Some say you could not, since it is water-soluble and you body will just flush out the excess. Other articles, on the other hand, say one should not take more than 1,000 mcg of folic acid a day, unless specifically instructed by the doctor, as too much folic can hide signs of vitamin B12 deficiency and this can cause nerve damage. At any rate, my decision is to stick to the safer, albeit a little more expensive, Iberet Folic.
How about you, mamas? No matter which brand you choose, as long as we’re getting enough folic acid, we and our babies will be fine. It’s better to have more than enough than none at all. 😊
Hi, wala po bang brand na may 400 mcg lang?
ReplyDeleteHello! :) From my scan locally, it seems like there's no brand with only 400 mcg of pure folic. :(
Deleteterraferon po
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to get pregnant, what product should I try?
ReplyDeleteTry folic acid folart maam
DeleteTry folic acid folart maam
Deletekelan po mag stop taking folic acid? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI stopped after I gave birth. :)
DeleteHi sis. Ttc kmi ng hubby ko. My pcos ako at kasali ako sa mga groups regarding sa usapang pagbubuntis and nabasa ko nga about folic acid. Now I’m taking glutathione along with vitamin c. Pde kaya akong mgtake ng folic acid? Kasabay ba ng gluta at vit c or dapat my interval? Thanks sis.
ReplyDeleteMa'am and pong brand and pwede Kong itake na folic acid? I'm trying to concieve a baby.. thank u
ReplyDeleteTry niyo e take yung atc grape seed oil. May pcos din ako nung nag take ako niyan nabuntis ako. Try niyo din.
ReplyDeletesaan po pwede bilhin maam?
DeleteHi. Nabasa ko sa article na too much folic acid may cause autism sa baby. Nkabli dn ako 5mg na folic acid. Pero iniisp ko if mag shift nln aq sa smaller dose ng folic since d q pa nman nainom un nabili ko.. mabbli ba un iberet kht walang prescription? Thanks
ReplyDeleteYes, Iberet is sold over the counter. No prescription needed. :)
DeleteGudeve po.Pde po ba siya
ReplyDeletei take khit my period?tnx
Yes :)
DeleteHi po im trying to concieve .what should i take po.tia
ReplyDeleteHello, can i take iberret folic and metformin 500mg at the same time . I was scanned to have pcos. do you have blog related to this ? thanks.
ReplyDeleteHave u heard of belta folic acid? Is it safe?
ReplyDeleteHi po, matagal na po kami ng hubby ko pro Wala pa po KAMING baby, Wala rin po KAMING control. ano po ba ang pwd naming e. take na folic acid
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Hi there! my history po ako ng multiple congenital anomalies yung eldest ko, so it means need ko mgtake ng 4000 mcg daily base sa nbasa ko po? tama po? nkakatakot maulit sa totoo lng. Kaya before ako mapreggy ulit lahat ireresearch ng makakabuti. Thanks a lot nkita ko to :)
ReplyDeleteang iberet folic po ba ang best iintake para mbuntis??
ReplyDeletehi there, my ob recommended also iberet when im pregnant. much better kahit mas mahal...
ReplyDeleteanong folic acid ang iinumin ko kase matagal na kami ng hubby ko pero hindi pa ako nabubuntis?
ReplyDeletehello po , anu po bang folic pede in take para mabuntis un di na need ng reseta po?
ReplyDeletehello po may severe poly cystic syndrome or (PCos) and gusto na po namen ng asawa ko magkaanak kame , gusto ko na po magbuntis ano pong maganda Folic Acid and pwede saken? which is hindi po talaga ako nagkakaperiod, pwede nalang kung iinum ako ng pills.
ReplyDeleteHi there have u heard and who tried taking of belta folic acid? Is it safe?
ReplyDeleteHi gusto ko nang magka baby anong folic acid ang iintake ku?8 yrs na kame ng hubby ko wala pa kame baby
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to get pregnant. .Ok lng ba i take ang folic acid Folicard ?
ReplyDeletehello po ask ko lng po anong pinagkaiba ng folicard bcomplex at folicard folic acid? sakin po kasi after ko makunan last year mga june ung ob ko sabi nya uminom daw po ako folicard folic acid before bedtime hanggang sa dumating ung hubby ko (ofw kasi sya).
ReplyDeleteHello maam!simula nung nagtake ako ng folic acid.umabot ng halos isang buwan period ko at hindi rin malakas.normal po ba un.and this month po FEBRUARY 15-20days spotting lang po ako...brown lang po!normal po ba ito.bali tinigilko na pagtake ng folic kasi natakot ako sa epekto nito sa period ko!Dapat ko paba Itoloy!
ReplyDeleteMaganda po ba na folic acid ang folicard,folicap anti anemia,infacare!?5mg.
ReplyDeletePositive site, where did u come up with the information on this posting?I have read a few of the articles on your website now, and I really like your style. Thanks a million and please keep up the effective work. pregnancy test
ReplyDeleteAsk lng po pwd po ba pag sabayin e take ung folic acid folart at multivitamins ung obimin plus po sa umaga.2months pregnant po
ReplyDeleteHi maam ..ask ko lang po .safe at okay lang po ba pag sabayin etake ung eberet at myra e? Gusto na po talaga namin magka baby ng asawa ko ..coming 4yrs na kami wala pa din po 😢 ..hope ma pansin at ma replayan niyo po ako ..thank u po and god bless
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ReplyDeleteQuestion po, gusto na rin po namin magkababy ng Lip ko, nagpa.ob na ko before Kaso dahil sa work nd ako nakakabalik, but my friends who has the same condition advise me to try vit.e and Follart (follic acid) , one of my aunt also advise me to take follic acid, but one of my o.b prescription is the metformin , pwede po kaya un magkakasabay, metformin , vit.e and follic acid? Ung metformin po ba makakabalik kahit walang reseta? Nawala na po kc ung nireseta sakin.. thanks po sa makakasagot
ReplyDeleteI'm 7 weeks pregnant. What folic acid should i take and how many mg? Thank you.
ReplyDeleteHello po 8 months na kami ng hubby ko at gusto na namin mg ka baby anu po ba ang pweding folic acid Vitamins na tama lang ang dose?
ReplyDelete