Folic acid in pregnancy

Abstract

Supplementation of folic acid, one of the members of the B-complex vitamin family has been an integral part of pre-pregnancy counselling as well as early pregnancy care over the past few decades. Folic acid supplements reduce the risk of fetal neural tube defects and the level of protection increases with higher dosage. Recent evidence shows that obese women are at an increased risk of neural tube anomalies and require a higher dose of periconceptional folic acid supplementation.