If you are pregnant or want to get pregnant, you probably already know that you need to get a lot of folic acid. Folic acid helps prevent birth defects in the brain and spine, especially if you take it early in your pregnancy. You might not realise how important it is to also take multivitamins.
A new study in the medical journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention shows how important it is to take multivitamins if you are trying to get pregnant or are a new mom. Their research showed that a child is less likely to get certain types of brain tumours if the mother takes multivitamins early in the pregnancy.
Researchers found that medulloblastoma and primitive neuroectodermal brain tumours were less likely to happen in babies whose mothers took multivitamins close to the time they got pregnant. Brain tumours in children are pretty rare. Only one in 20,000 kids under the age of six gets one. The second most common type of brain tumour in children is called medulloblastoma.
In the study at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 315 children with brain tumours were compared to 315 healthy children who were chosen at random. Researchers called each mother and asked if she had been taking multivitamins before or after giving birth. The results were not very important, but they were similar to what a different group found in 1993.
Surprisingly, taking a multivitamin in the last few months of pregnancy did not reduce the risk of brain tumours in the baby by much. This makes it very clear that you should start taking your multivitamins right away if you are trying to get pregnant. Then, as long as your doctor says it's okay, keep doing it at least until the early stages of your pregnancy.
Women are strongly encouraged to choose a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid. Women who want to have children should eat foods that are full of vitamins and folic acid.
Check how much vitamin A it has before you buy it. Vitamin A should never be taken in more than 770 micrograms. Too much can make babies born with birth defects.
You should also look for the letters USP on the package. This means that the vitamin has been looked at by the U.S. Pharmacopeia Organization and found to meet certain standards. Vitamins with a USP stamp meet certain standards for cleanliness, safety, quality, and what they contain.
Before you get pregnant, your OB/GYN will help you choose a pre-natal vitamin. So, good luck if you're trying to get pregnant, and make sure you and your baby both take that multivitamin.
