A recent national survey shows that many women still don't know about the benefits of folic acid and its ability to prevent birth defects, says UAB gynecologist Katharine Wenstrom, M.D. She says women must take it daily, because if they wait until they are pregnant to take it, it may be too late to be of any benefit.
This is especially important because of the large numbers of unplanned pregnancies. There is much data on folic acid's ability to prevent neural tube defects, but now data is accumulating to show it may prevent other birth defects, including cleft palate and congenital heart disease, and maybe even chromosome abnormalities like Down's syndrome.
Contact Tracy Bischoff, Media Relations at 205-934-8935 or [email protected].
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