Firstly, what a special time! You are taking the first steps to start or expand your precious
family. And, I am proud of you for doing your research before becoming pregnant to enhance the
health of you and your future little bub! Folate is a key nutrient for pregnancy, and as such,
it's recommended that you take additional folic acid supplements during your first trimester
of pregnancy, but you may be wondering whether it's worth commencing them prior
to conception... In short, the answer is yes, definitely! In this video I am going to discuss
the importance of folic acid supplements and a folate rich diet before pregnancy. So, stay tuned!
Hello! If this is our first time connecting, welcome!
My name is Melanie McGrice and I'm a fertility and prenatal dietitian. I help couples boost
their fertility and give their baby's the best start possible with the power of good food.
I post weekly videos on nutrition tips for fertility, reproductive conditions,
pregnancy and new parents, so make sure you choose the playlists that best suit your needs and binge
watch my previous episodes, but make sure you subscribe to be alerted about future topics.
In this video, I'm going to discuss four key benefits of folic acid before pregnancy.
So, let's dive in!
Benefit number one. Now, this one is probably the most obvious, and that is that consuming
adequate folate before pregnancy greatly reduces your risk of neural tube defects. Neural tube
defects occur when the brain and spinal cord do not fully develop. Did you know that when
you first become pregnant the neural tube is the very first part that develops in your growing bub?
Therefore, it is vital that you have adequate folate stores from day 1 of pregnancy! Most
mumma's don't know that they are pregnant until your baby is at least two weeks old, and by then,
you've missed some vital time. By focusing on your folate intake prior to conception, you will reduce
your little one's risk of developing neural tube defects such as spina bifida and a cleft palate.
Which leads me to benefit number two... Optimal folate prior to conception is essential
for optimising your chances of having a healthy baby. As a fertility and prenatal dietitian,
I have seen firsthand how difficult getting pregnant can be. Well, I'm going to let you
in on a little secret.... Folate is vital! If your bub's neural tube doesn't form properly,
it can sometimes result in a chemical pregnancy or miscarriage. And just in case you are unsure
of what a chemical pregnancy is, it is a very early miscarriage that happens within
the first five weeks of pregnancy. We want to do everything we can to avoid this and so this is
another reason why I encourage you to optimise your folate intake before becoming pregnant.
And now for benefit number three.... Emerging research suggests that there may
be a link between inadequate folate intake and an increased risk of autism or autistic traits.
The link between these isn't specifically clear however from what we know about the
importance of folate for our littles DNA, it isn't surprising that this association has been made.
To make things even more confusing, researchers suggest that there may also be a link
between excessively high intakes of folic acid and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder.
So the best advice is to get personalised advice from your fertility dietitian about the best
form of folate supplements, especially if it is taking you longer than hoped for to conceive.
Fourthly, research suggests that an optimal folate intake
intake before pregnancy is that it has been found to improve the birth weight of your growing bub.
Generally speaking, poor nutrition before and during pregnancy can contribute to the risk
of having a low-birth-weight baby. Folate, however, is particularly important because
it plays an essential role in the creation of DNA. When a baby is born small for their age,
it can contribute to a host of other health complications in the future. You may like to
check out my video on small for gestational age babies during pregnancy for more info.
I know you want the absolute best for your baby, therefore, given folate's important
role in growth and development, I highly recommend ensuring that you have the right amount of folate
for your personal needs. I know that your next question will be, 'how much folate do I need'?
The answer to this will change from woman to woman based on a range of factors such
as how long have you been trying to conceive, how long is it since your last pregnancy, how is your
weight tracking and whether you have any medical conditions that can impact your folate stores,
so personalised advice from a fertility dietitian is best.
Additionally, if you're confused about the difference between folate,
folic acid and other types of folate, check out my video on folate versus folic acid!
Now, to help you optimise the folate in your fertility diet,
I've created a free fertility meal plan for you! Just go to melaniemcgrice.com/fertility.
You might also like to check out some of the delicious folate-rich recipes on my website.
Don't forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel. I'll look forward to seeing you in my next video!