I'm worried because i missed taking prenatal vitamins for the first 4 weeks of my pregnancy. is this a serious issue? i am 5 weeks pregnant, but i was unaware of becoming pregnant and thus didn't take any prenatal vitamins. after i confirmed thru home te

Folic : Folic acid is the synthetic derivative of folate, (folic acid) which is found naturally in food so they are essentially the same thing. Folic acid/folate is important in preventing spina bifida or open neural tube defects early in pregnancy during organogenesis (weeks 5-8) is considered very important. Ideally women should be taking prenatal vitamins and Folic Acid before conceiving however 50% of pregnancies are unplanned. You are doing the right thing by taking the prenatal vitamins as soon as you found out. I wouldn't worry too much. Your doctor will discuss screening tests available early in pregnancy to evaluate how healthy the pregnancy. Together you can make plans and decisions about how to proceed. Congratulations and best wishes.

Don't fret: But don't delay starting them now.