No, it's not a fun new dance. It's me being a scaredy-cat. Let me explain.
I was a good girl this evening, and on my drive home from work I remembered that I was nearly out of diabetes supplies, so I called into the pharmacy. In the carpark I decided that I would ask my pharmacist about whether I should start taking pre-natal vitamins, mainly folic acid. I was all psyched up.
I get in the door of the pharmacy and it's packed with folks coming in after work with the sniffles. Because my pharmacist sees me every 4 weeks or so, he gestured for me to come to the front of the pack. Much to the disgruntlement of the other patrons! haha :P He doesn't even need to ask my name, just "do you want everything this time?" "Yup" And 2 mins later a parcel of Humalog, Lantus, and test strips will appear on the counter. So there wasn't time enough for me to get across the pharmacy and look at the vitamins.
I was about to ask the pharmacist about folic acid, or maybe ask to speak in the private room, but it was soooo busy, and then a colleague from work walked in and said hi, and I chickened out. Wimp! Oh well, next time.
Perhaps I should call my GP to ask him? I had remembered the TV ads for Elevit said something about their vitamins being the only one to contain the amount of folic acid as recommended by the NZ Ministry of Health. (Elevit has 0.8mg folic acid.) So I did a bit of checking, and found this guide from the MoH (PDF, 825 Kb).
In section 3.6 it says that yes, 0.8mg is fine for "normal" women, but their recommendation for Type 1 diabetics is a whopping 5mg! Wow! It also says that it's best to take a folate supplement for at least 4 weeks prior to conception. I've already had my Endo casually mention that I should be on prenatal vitamins... but I have no idea when this IVF gig will kick off.
Speaking of which, I'm getting a bit miffed (translation: slightly grumpy and a little worried) that I've not yet heard anything from the fertility clinic about an initial appointment. I don't know if perhaps it's because my ob/gyn has not sent through my file, or maybe it's because Hubby and I have not yet completed our blood tests? Not sure. I must phone my ob/gyn to see what's up. Maybe the waiting list is just too long?
In local news, we've had some flooding in our region, and the wind is nasty. Our house is 90% painted, but the roofers seem to have disappeared completely! Oh, and my poor hands are aching in the cold :( Wah! Off to make a nice hot cup of tea! :D
I took folic acid for a while before when we had decided to have a baby - but actually just went into pharmacy and bought it over the counter... When I started seeing the fertility guy I started on a multi-vitamin that contained folic acid - and I continued to take this throughout my pregnancy. not sure the amount of folic acid... My OBGYN also advised a sperate Omega 3 fatty acid supplement during my pregnancy. Hope you get word from the clinic soon!
ReplyDeleteHi, yup. 5mg my sweet. Cheap over the counter, free (ish) from the doc. Maybe me bad but that was the only prenatal I took - but the early blood tests said my iron etc was fine? Def get that folic acid going tho.
ReplyDeleteGet on that phone to find out :) Of course we want to know too now! :)
Weather. hmmmmf. My car was covered in hail last night. Really cold. Not much wind. I hope that the roofers come back soon!
Enjoy that cuppa :)
The first time I talked to my doctor about prenatal vitamins, I walked out of the door with a giant paper grocery bag overflowing with free samples.
ReplyDeleteI know you're in another country, but in the U.S., OTC prenatal vitamins aren't held to any potency standards -- that's why they recommend getting the Rx kind.
I'm currently taking Women's One-a-Day Prenatal Vitamins with DHS...they have plenty of folic acid in them according to my doctor. However, I'm not sure what you should be taking on the IVF track. You are more patient than I, I would be calling my ob/gyn until they answered! Good luck and try and stay warm :)
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