by Jenny Hope
Women who take folic acid supplements every day have a better chance of getting pregnant, say researchers.
Long known to safeguard the health of the unborn baby, this is the first time folic acid, a form of vitamin B, has been shown to aid conception too.
A study involving more than 18,000 women showed multivitamins - particularly folic acid - improve a woman’s fertility.
Those taking a supplement regularly had a 40 per cent lower risk of suffering problems producing eggs - the second biggest cause of female infertility.
Around 150,000 British couples each year struggle to start a family because the woman is failing to ovulate, or ovulating erratically.
In the study, US researchers analysed the progress of 18,500 nurses hoping to become pregnant over an eight-year period in the 1990s.
They found 13 per cent experienced difficulties, with one in five of those given a diagnosis being told they had ovulation problems.
The study looked at the women’s diets, whether they took multivitamins and for how long.
Those taking multivitamins, which included folic acid, for six days a week or more had a 40 per cent lower risk of ovulatory failure, compared with those who did not take a pill.
Women who took a pill on three to five days a week had a 30 per cent cut in risk, while those taking pills for two days or less were no better off than women not taking supplements.
The findings were released today at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine annual meeting in New Orleans.
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