folic acid and vitamins while waiting.

[lora123]

Hi.
I'm going to be coming off the pill when my new pack is finished in 3 months time and then going to try to conceive in summer.
When should I be starting folic acid and pre natal vitamins? Any harm in starting now?
Would.love to feel like I'm getting ready as sooo excited!

 

[dom85]

No you can start them now

We're not planning on TTC until the summer but I'm taking them already as I want to be in the best possible position health wise when we conceive.

 

[spicyorange]

Certainly no harm starting early, they say at least a month before but anyone who could become pregnant (ie of reproductive age) should take them anyway just in case

 

[BumpySomeday]

I have been taking prenatal pills as my multivitamin for a long time... my doctor doesn't have an issue with it... so I'm pretty sure you can start taking them whenever you want Especially if you'll be trying in a few months! Good luck!

 

[MamaByrd]

Take them as soon as possible! Good luck!

 

[lora123]

That's settled then... Off to chemist I go

 

[bighouse]

When you do get a prenatal vitamin, I'd highly recommend getting ones with methylfolate, NOT folic acid. They are both forms of folate but one is much better than the other. Many women cannot process folic acid, and it actually builds up in your system (methylation pathways) and does more harm than good. Methylfolate however is much easier for your body to absorb, which in turn will go to your baby. If you are one of the women who cannot process folic acid (and you won't know unless you've had the MTHFR genetic test, which many doctors don't order unless there are repeated miscarriagea) then your baby still won't get what it needs to prevent birth defects and miscarriage unless you take methylfolate.

 

[lora123]

Wow. There's so much I need to learn!
Do you know which brands I should be looking at that contain methylfolate?

 

[bighouse]

I'm still looking myself (so I'll update it if I find a better one) but so far I found two that look pretty good at first glance: Neevo DHA (their website talks a little about the issues I mentioned with folate) I think it requires a prescription. Also one made by Thorne (that doesn't appear to need a prescription) it's called "Thorne Basic Prenatal".
It won't let me post links. It says since I'm new I'm not allowed to post links until I have more posts. But you can google them.

 

[callmedan]

im going to take pregnacare from 3 months before ttc

 

[lora123]

I'm taking sanotogen 'mum to be' at the moment. For the three months until my microgynon 30 pills are done.

 

[tverb84]

Right now I'm taking multi vitamins for women that has 400 mcg's of folic acid.I heard every woman of child bearing age should take 400 mcg's a day.

 

[callmedan]

You have to be careful with multivitamins because you can't have too much vitamin A when your pregnant

 

[tverb84]

What happens if you do have too much vitamin a?

 

[callmedan]

It's bad for the baby, I don't know what happens but you that's why you can't eat shark and other kinds of fish when you are pregnant either

 

[lora123]

Ok.....
so OH and I have had a talk tonight and he's now told me he is ready and super excited to start a family!
Soooo, I guess that's me gone from WTT to TTC already!
THink he's had a chat with a work mate today and I can't believe how suddenly so on board he is with the whole thing , also another indicator that now could be the right time is that the chemist has lost my prescription for my contaceptive pills somewhere between the surgery and the chemist, co-incidence maybe! But i'm taking it as a sign!!

Good luck everyone, and hopefully see some of you in TTC soon

 

[tverb84]

I only eat fish once in a while and never ate shark. Doesn't sound appealing to me.

Congrats lora.

 

[callmedan]

congrats and good luck!

 

[bellaxgee]

funny enough before TTC #1 I was taking prenatals for almost 6 months with no problem then when I got pregnant I was fine up until about 14 weeks then all of a sudden they started making me sick. Now I'm scared to go back on them....