Does taking folic acid increase the chances of having twins?
There have been thoughts recently that taking folic acid prior to and during pregnancy might increase the risk of the mother conceiving twins the mother is having IVF treatment. One school of thought felt that if 30% of pregnant women took folic acid supplements, there would be 45 fewer children born with neural tube defects in every 100,000 women but an extra 225 twin births1. This finding could present IVF practitioners with something of a dilemma, as on the one hand, twin births are associated with a higher risk of complications for mother and babies; but on the other, folic acid is an important supplement for women trying to conceive, reducing the incidence of neural tube defects2. The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists believe that any link to the intake of folic acid and IVF twin pregnancy is tentative and further study should be performed, along with studies focusing on those couples who have not had fertility treatment. 1Ericson A, Kallen B, Aberg A (2001) Use of mu
