I'm not sure how many of you may be familiar with this issue, but any advice, knowledge and opinions will be helpful.
Our son was born with a cleft lip. Knowing that this ran in my husbands family I was taking 1000 mcg's (1mg) of folic acid (what comes in a prescription prenatal) in hopes of preventing it. Obviously it didn't work, but his palatte luckily was unaffected and his double cleft lip was repaired and at 15 months he seems to be doing great.
We are preparing to start trying for another baby later in the year. We talked with our Genetic Counselor yesterday who said that studies have shown that increasing folic acid intake to 4000 mcg's (4mg) can aid in the possible prevention of clefting.
Okay, is it just me or does that seem like a GIGANTIC increase and a buttload of Folic Acid a day? My gut is telling me that is way off. I'm going to check with my OBgyn and see what she can dig up on the subject and in the mean time please let me know if you know of anything on the matter as well. Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who responded! I checked back in with the genetic counselor basically just to hear her repeat herself! haha... Then I checked in with my OB whose response was positive and she sent me a prescription for 1mg folic acid pills right away. I've heard formmany circles that this is the therapy used to treat neural tube defects, and the counselor said its recently been proven to help with clefting as well. So, hopefully the folic acid IS helpful for the new baby. We aren't "trying" quite yet, we'll wait a couple of months and then try. I want to make sure I have a good environment in there for a new little wee one to call home for awhile!
on the subject of folic acid, no this actually seems about right, I have a son with Spina bifida and when i wanted to get pregnant with my son, I went and asked how much folic acid to take and 4000mcg's or 4 mg's. so i would think this doctor knows what he is talking about. I know I cant prove that, but I would listen too him, just think of it this way, it cant hurt you to take that much. Good luck and best wishes to you.
L.
Don't forget that folic acid is also found in foods such as dark leafy greens. That's just one example off the top of my head. I think that when it comes down to it finding ways to get the 4000 mcg of folic acid won't be that hard. Good luck and God Bless.
2.5mg to 4mg is the going rate for this. I too had to take high amounts of folic acid, but only took 2.5mg daily. However, something to consider....in your past pregnancy did you also balance it out with the correct amound of B6 and B12? They work together and you need all of them in order to properly absorb as well as prevent certain types of anemia caused by the imbalance between the supps. A good script to be on is called Foltx or Folgard. They both have a high dose of folic acid (2.2mg per pill) as well as the recommended B6 and 12 all in a single pill. It is often used for mothers who have trouble metabolizing folic acid (that would be me). You can also buy the non-Rx version called "homocystiene" which has all the same high levels of supps but you don't need a dr to Rx them but rather can order from www.vitacost.com. Have you ever been checked for MTHFR? It is called the mother father gene in laymans terms and in scientific terms it is called Methylene-Tetra-Hydro-Folate-Reductase which basically means you have a gene present that prevents you from metabolizing folic acid. If the you get a copy of the gene from both parents then you have more side effects than if you have 1 copy, but can have symptoms whether you have 1 or 2 copies of that gene...perhaps it is possible that you and hubby have at least 1 copy of this gene and both passed it to your child? Also perhaps your high dose of folic acid didn't work because it wasn't balanced with other nutrients and or you also do not metabolize folate correctly. Just something to consider...
High Risk OB's and Maternal Fetal docs all Rx doses of folic acid that are 4mg when it is shown necessary. In your case, it is apparently necessary. Good luck, God Bless and I hope your dr can offer some insight for you.
B. :)
Hello I also have a son with cleft lip and we found out beside the folic acid you also have to have B6 and B12. I was informed about this after we found out he had a cleft lip. So Plz make sure you get the B6 and B12 you need.Good luck and god bless.
Hi J.. My name is C. and I am a RN and I have a cleft lip. We have never been able to trace my cleft lip back to any family history or anything. There are only two ways that cleft lips are obtained. One is genetic and the other is thru just environmental. Because the lips are knit at approx 5 weeks gestation most women dont even know they are pregnant yet. So if they take an aspirin or something...they dont realize how it can affect the fetus. Anyway, in your case....I suppose they tell you to take folic acid for neural tube defects...it helps to prevent these. Like spina bifida...and such diseases. I wouldnt OD on these though. Be careful and seek the amount from a doctor. It could be dangerous to take too much to.Just know that even if your child has the cleft lip, there are soo many things that doctors can do to make it look great. I have since had two children and none of them were born with cleft lips and I was so scared about that. I think I had in the 90th percentile that I wouldnt have a baby with that. I was lucky. I have heard it skips a generation too. Anyway, dont know if I helped you at all...but good luck to you and congrats on your new baby. Take care of yourself, and get plenty of rest.
