Having a Healthy Pregnancy
Folic Acid
If you are planning on becoming pregnant or are pregnant, take a multivitamin and mineral supplement
each day. Make sure your supplement contains 0.4mg of folic acid. To protect your baby from neural
tube defects, start your supplement at least three months before you get pregnant. Keep taking it all
through your pregnancy and for as long as you breastfeed.
Remember: Vitamin and mineral supplements work best with a healthy pattern of eating. Canada's
Food Guide will help you prepare for a healthy pregnancy.
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Folic Acid is one of the B vitamins. Make sure that your daily intake of folic acid is adequate.
Folic Acid helps ensure normal growth and development of your unborn baby, especially the
development of the neural tube, which develops into the brain and spinal cord.
By increasing the amount of folic acid you eat, you can reduce the risk of having a child with a
neural tube defect by at least 50%.
It may be difficult to meet the daily requirements for folic acid with diet alone. A folic acid
supplement is recommended, usually found in your prenatal vitamin.
Please discuss requirements with your care provider and pharmacist. A prescription is not
needed, unless specified by your care provider.
Do not take more than the recommended dose of folic acid or take additional multivitamins to
reach a specific dose. This could be harmful.
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for folate for women 14 through 50 years of age
Non-Pregnant
Pregnant
Breastfeeding
0.4 mg
0.6 mg
0.5 mg
Health Canada References
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Folic Acid and Birth Defects
National Nutrition Pregnancy Guidelines