THURSDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) — Increasing folic acid intake also increases the chances of twins for women undergoing in vitro fertility treatments in which more than one embryo is transferred, a new British study suggests.
However, folic acid, a B vitamin that protects against birth defects such as spina bifida, does not affect overall chances of becoming pregnant after fertility treatment, the researcher said.
"Our experience is that women undergoing IVF [in vitro fertilization] are very health-conscious and they may be taking multivitamins and folic acid, not realizing that the multivitamin contains folic acid," said the study's lead author, Paul Haggarty, of the University of Aberdeen. "We would recommend to women undergoing IVF not to exceed the recommendations."
But women who are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant shouldn't reduce their consumption of the vitamin, experts advised.
"This should not discourage the general population from taking folic supplementation. This study does not apply to the general population of women getting pregnant," said Dr. Jennifer Wu, an obstetrician and gynecologist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Folate has been proven to decrease the number of neural tube defects, and spina bifida can be a lifelong, devastating condition."
Post a Comment