How Much Vitamin D And Folic Acid During Pregnancy?

[ursulinskaja 0]

Hello,

I live in Canada. My family doctor told me to take 2 x 5 mg of folic acid and 1000 IU vitamin D per day. This is in addition to a multivitamin her colleague prescribed previously that contains 1 mg of folic acid and 400 IU vitamin D. Apart from that, I get those vitamins daily from soy drink, kefir etc., where they are added, not to mention their natural sources. When I asked the doctor about my actual blood levels for folic acid she said they didn't test it because they never do. So this is all just as a precaution.

To be honest, I feel a little bit overdosed!

As I take it, folic acid is important especially for the first couple of weeks, but she gave it to me at week 8 and wants me to take that huge amount during the whole pregnancy. Does anyone know the reason for that?

In general, I'm wondering how much vitamin D and folic acid doctors recommended/prescribed to other celiacs in Canada and the US?

Thank you!!!

[rosetapper23 237]

I can't speak to the folic acid, but as for the Vitamin D....well, my mother had undiagnosed celiac disease when she gave birth to me, and I was born with ricketts. Not a good way to start out life....so perhaps the Vitamin D recommendation might be good to follow. Just speaking from experience...

[JillianLindsay 5]

In recent years, medical journals have published papers saying that people should be taking 1,000-2,000 IUs of Vitamin D per day (depending on weight, age, etc). We are TTC #1 and in addition to taking a pre-natal, I am also taking 1,000 IU of Vitamin D. I am not sure what my DR will recommend once we are successful and I am preggers, but I will let you know if you want

[ursulinskaja 0]

Thank you, guys.

[grayangel 3]

I am pregnant and recently had to do this research myself.

http://www.webmd.com/baby/news/20100504/high-doses-of-vitamin-d-may-cut-pregnancy-risk

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/30/vitamin.d.pregnancy/index.html

The latest study I have found, referenced in both of the above articles, suggests 4000 IU daily.

Vitamin D Council states that pregnant women need at least 5000 IU daily.

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/news-archive/2009/pregnancy-and-gestational-vitamin-d-deficiency/

Hope this helps!

[NicoleAJ 1]

I have an 18month old now. I started taking prenatals 6 months before I got pregnant with her, so my folic acid was fine, but I wasn't supplementing vitamin D beyond the 1000 IU that were in my prenatals. By 8 weeks I was so significantly vitamin D deficient (despite drinking lots of milk, eating cheese, etc) that I got a severe infection and starting bleeding. I thought I was losing the baby, and it was terrifying. The doctor prescribed me some antibiotics and after the second infection at 15 weeks she tested my vitamin D (since low vitamin D and pregnancy are two factors for bacterial vaginosis). I was very deficient. She recommended I start taking 5000 IUs of Vitamin D daily along with what I was already getting through diet and prenatals, and I stopped getting infections and my daughter was born perfectly healthy and full term. And now that I'm no longer pregnant, I don't supplement vitamin D and my levels are perfectly fine. The baby needs a lot of vitamin D--don't be shy about taking what you (and your child) need for this very short period of time.