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Rosina Switras

I’m Rosina Switras and I’m standing in front of a pharmacy, where anyone can get vitamins and medicine to improve their health. For pregnant women, there’s important information regarding an unborn child’s health.

If a woman becomes pregnant, and decides to use a pregnancy test that you can find at any pharmacy, it is recommended that she visit a doctor for further testing.

Those who have experienced pregnancy before are aware that doctors encourage expecting mothers to take prenatal multivitamins to make sure the baby is healthy.

Why is taking a multivitamin important? One of the nutrients in these multivitamins is called “folate,” or “folic acid.” Doctors strongly recommend that women make sure they get enough folate.

Not having enough folate can cause problems with the development of the baby’s brain and spine.

If a pregnant woman does not take enough folate, it can lead to the baby’s spine not closing properly, or can lead to the baby being born with an underdeveloped brain and skull.

Folate is important very early in a baby’s development. However, if taking a daily multivitamin when pregnant is good, (pause) does that mean that taking extra is even better?

A research study released May 11th announced that more is not always better.

The study found that when mothers took too much folate, their children had more than double the normal risk of developing autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

When mothers take too much vitamin B12, their children had triple the normal risk of developing ASD.

If mothers take too much of both folate and vitamin B 12, their child’s risk for developing ASD was 17.6 times higher than normal.

If mothers took a prenatal multivitamin only 3 to 5 times each week, their child’s risk for ASD was reduced by 57 to 67%.

Taking too little and taking too much can both cause harm. Be sure to follow your doctor’s recommendation. If you are unsure, don't hesitate to ask questions.