If you are planning a pregnancy, it is important to take a folic acid supplement from three months before becoming pregnant. If you find out you are pregnant, try to start taking folic acid as soon as possible up to week 12 of pregnancy.
By 12 weeks the neural tube has already grown, so taking folic acid after this point will not help your baby’s development. However, some pregnancy multivitamins include folic acid. You can continue to take this all through your pregnancy.
If you are past 12 weeks in your pregnancy and did not know you should take folic acid, try not to worry. The risk of this affecting your baby is still very small.