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Research: Pre-pregnancy folic acid advice 'ignored'

Women who are trying to get pregnant are ignoring expert advice to take folic acid supplements to protect their unborn children from spina bifida and other birth defects, a study from Queen Mary University uncovered.

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Renewed calls for folic acid to be put in to flour

Pregnancy experts have renewed calls to introduce folic acid into flour so women can introduce it into their diet before conception.

Clare Murphy, from the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, said:

Many pregnancies are unplanned, and so often women do not know that they need to be taking folic acid supplements until it is too late.

Some of the saddest cases we see in our clinics are those involving couples who are ending a much-wanted pregnancy, often after a diagnosis of a neural tube defect like spina bifida.

Countries which have introduced mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid have seen a significant reduction in affected pregnancies, and we urge the Government to act for the benefit of pregnant women in this country too.

– Clare Murphy, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service

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