A pregnant woman in her second trimester is counseled about folic acid supplementation to prevent neural tube defects. The Indian government's recommendation for folic acid prophylaxis in pregnancy under the National Programme is:

• A 400 µg daily starting from confirmation of pregnancy ✓
• B 500 µg daily starting from confirmation of pregnancy
• C 400 µg daily starting at least 1 month before conception
• D 5 mg daily for all pregnant women

Explanation

Under the National Programme, 400 µg (0.4 mg) folic acid daily is recommended starting from confirmation of pregnancy. For primary prevention of NTDs, preconceptional supplementation (at least 1 month before conception) is ideal, but the programme recommendation is 400 µg from pregnancy confirmation. Option C is the ideal but not the programme recommendation. 5 mg is for high-risk cases.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.