A 29-year-old woman with pre-gestational type 2 diabetes mellitus is planning conception. What daily dose of folic acid should she take starting before pregnancy?
- A 400 micrograms
- B 5 mg ✓
- C 1 mg
- D 15 mg
Correct answer: B. 5 mg
Explanation
Women at increased risk of neural tube defects, including those with pre-gestational diabetes, previous affected child, obesity, or antiepileptic drug use, need high dose folic acid 5 mg daily started before conception and continued through the first trimester. The standard public health dose of 400 micrograms applies only to low risk women. Pre-gestational diabetes roughly doubles to triples the baseline neural tube defect risk, which is why the higher dose is prescribed in this setting.
Reference: Williams Obstetrics, 26th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.