Autisim and Prenatal Folic Link

[Anonymous]

I just saw an article that there is some evidence out there that the high doses of folic may cause autisim. Right now it is a theory. Ok, now what.

I had an anencephalic pregnancy and now I take a 2.2 mg folic supplement plus a prenatal that contains 1mg of folic. I find out Friday if I am pregnant. I am having all the symptoms so it is very possible that I am. (We did the injectables with timed intercourse)

What do all of you think? Am I driving myself crazy for nothing? Should I cut back on the folic to maybe 2mg per day?

[Anonymous]

I have not seen the article, but my understanding is that most researchers believe that autism happens due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors - that no one factor is a cause, and that genetics make some kids more prone to the disease than others. So I do not believe, and I do not think that any researchers think, that any one thing we do or don't do will cause autism. Talk to your doctor if you're still concerned, but try not to worry.

[Anonymous]

I ran across presentations on this topic on the web when i was pregnant, and raised the same issue with my doctor at Shady Grove. I think he thought I was crazy! I was supposed to take extra folic acid b/c of an MTHFR mutation--however, i was heterozyous (I think--hard to remember the details now) and I had normal levels of folate (???) in the blood--so i decided to just take the normal prenatal dose. however, if I had a history of problems with anancephaly, I'm not sure I would change the recommended dose. Can you discuss the paper with your doctor? You could also consider going to a perinatologist, like Pinckert and Gallagher, or a genetic specialist, like Evelyn Karson, and consulting with them.

[Anonymous]

PP here -- just ran across this article suggesting folic acid is not a problem--again, preliminary results

http://sfari.org/news/prenatal-folate-linked-to-autism

[Anonymous]

The way I see it -- there is definite scientific evidence that since you have already had one anecephalic pregnancy, you are at a higher risk of having another AND that folic acid has been proven to reduce this risk. As for the folate/autism link -- there is no scientific evidence, just someone's theory.

[Anonymous]

Please remember you are comparing one small study on this potential link to years and years of study and evidence of the good that folic acid has done. Also, you have a history of a problem that can be helped with folic. Please don't stop taking the increased folic acid on one study, disregarding your history and the large amounts of evidence of the good it can do-- it isn't logical.

[Anonymous]

Also, autism is probably diagnosed more in higher socio-econmic classes due to better monitoring and routine care, and these mothers also probably had better prenatal care with extra folic acid. Could be a data artifact.