Table 1.

Canadian Recommendations for Folic Acid and Multivitamin Supplementation in Pregnancy

Option	Population	Folic Acid Dose	Duration of Supplementation
A	Patients with no personal health risks, planned pregnancy	Good diet of folate-rich foods; daily supplementation with folic acid 0.4–1.0 mg	At least 2 to 3 months before conception and throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period (4–6 weeks and as long as breastfeeding continues)
B	Patients with health risks, family history of neural tube defect, high-risk ethnic group	(1) Folate-rich foods, daily supplementation with 5 mg folic acid	(1) Beginning at least 3 months before conception and continuing until 10 to 12 weeks postconception
		(2) Daily supplementation with folic acid 0.4–1.0 mg	(2) From 12 weeks postconception and continuing throughout pregnancy and the postpartum period (4–6 weeks or as long as breastfeeding continues)
C	Patients with history of poor compliance with medications, additional lifestyle issues, variable diet, no consistent birth control, and possible teratogenic substance use	Folate-rich foods, daily supplementation with 5 mg folic acid	Counsel about folic acid supplementation to prevent birth defects and additional health benefits

Adapted with permission from Wilson RD et al.¹⁹