Image of folic acid: Source: CDC
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A viral Facebook video posted by a popular influencer, “Celebrity Nurse Esther,” has sparked widespread confusion after she advised pregnant women to stop taking folic acid after the first trimester.
In the video, shared with over 1 million followers, she stated, “Stop taking folic acid after your first trimester. After three months, stop taking folic acid if you are a pregnant woman. We only ask you to continue taking folic acid if your genotype is AS or you have a blood disorder. It is not mandatory to take it until nine months.”
When we came across the video on Aug. 19, 2025, it gained over 16,000 likes, 2,300 comments, and more than 680 shares. Many users expressed disbelief, confusion, and concern. Several users questioned the advice, noting that doctors routinely prescribe folic acid throughout all stages of pregnancy.
One commenter, Okoli Umeaka Oluoma, wrote: “So if my doctor prescribes folic acid for me, I will tell him that Nurse Esther from Facebook said I shouldn’t take folic acid after my first trimester abi?”
Another user, Obiageli Victoria Chukwuma, reacted: “Folic wey I take till I born all my four kids, na it una say make we no take.”
Questioning the post, Joy Chibuzor Amadi said: “But na doctors dey give us for antenatal. We are not just taking it on our own. Doctors will tell us not to play with our routine drugs till we give birth. So I don’t understand this one again.”
Serah Gideon Charles added: “Which one we go follow? Confused people everywhere oo.” While another follower, Gold Destiny, simply asked: “Please, what is folic acid?”
As part of DUBAWA’s commitment to advancing media and information literacy and promoting accurate health knowledge, we examined the science behind the belief that pregnant women should stop taking folic acid after the first trimester. Considering its critical role, inadequate information about its use could have a significant impact on both mothers and their unborn babies.
What is folic acid, and why is it important?
Folic acid is the synthetic form of folate, a type of B vitamin that the body needs to make new cells. Folate supports the formation of red blood cells and plays a key role in DNA creation, repair, and functioning. It is particularly essential during times of rapid growth, such as pregnancy.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of folic acid’s most important roles is aiding early brain and spinal cord development in unborn babies. It helps the neural tube (which forms the brain and spine) develop properly. Taking folic acid before conception and in the first trimester has been shown to help prevent severe birth defects known as neural tube defects (NTDs), including conditions like anencephaly and spina bifida.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the recommended dose for women of childbearing age is 400 micrograms (mcg) daily.
Should women stop taking folic acid after the first trimester?
While the first trimester is indeed the most crucial window for neural tube development, multiple studies and expert opinions confirm that continuing folic acid beyond the first trimester is not harmful and can be beneficial.
A randomised trial published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that continued folic acid use (400 mcg/day) during the second and third trimesters helped improve maternal and fetal blood folate levels and reduced the risk of elevated homocysteine, a compound linked to complications in pregnancy.
Another study published by the National Library of Medicine noted that continued supplementation promoted fetal growth and increased the likelihood of larger-than-average babies (LGA). However, it did not prevent small-for-gestational-age (SGA) births.
What do medical experts say?
A Senior Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Dr. Adedeji Opeyemi, stated that while folic acid is most vital during the first trimester, it remains safe and beneficial throughout pregnancy.
He says the first 13 weeks of pregnancy mark the peak period when folic acid is most needed. “That’s the time different organs are formed. Women must be consistent with folic acid intake during this period to avoid any developmental abnormalities. We encourage women to begin supplementation even before conception, because nutritional deficiencies are common in our environment,” he explained.
Dr. Opeyemi further noted that while the need for folic acid is crucial in early pregnancy, continuing supplementation beyond the first trimester remains safe. “It does not have abnormal benefits after three months, but it also has no negative effects if taken later. It’s not restricted to a particular blood group, and excess intake does not harm either the mother or the baby,” he said.
Highlighting folic acid’s role in blood formation, he explained that it works alongside iron to prevent anaemia in pregnancy. While iron deficiency anaemia is the most common type among pregnant women, he said a deficiency in folic acid could also result in megaloblastic anaemia, though this is less common.
He stressed that, although the first trimester remains the most critical window for folic acid use, continued intake throughout pregnancy supports maternal health and prevents blood-related complications.
Also, a resident doctor in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Dr. Ajao Olatunbosun, explained that while some schools of thought recommend stopping after the first trimester, continuing the medication poses no harm and can even be beneficial.
“From the clip you sent to me, the claim by the nurse is correct. There is a school of thought that says folic acid in pregnancy should be started three months before conception and stopped after the first trimester,” Dr. Olatunbosun said.
He explained that this is because the neural tube, which develops into the brain and spinal cord of the baby, is usually formed within the first trimester. Nonetheless, he emphasised that the vitamin remains valuable even beyond that stage.
The function of folic acid is for the formation of neurons in the baby. By the end of the first trimester, most of this process is complete. But after the first trimester, the pregnant woman still needs it, not only for the baby but also for her own body system. So, for a woman who is deficient in folic acid, asking her to stop after the first trimester is not really helping her,” he explained.
According to him, continuing folic acid after the first trimester does not harm the mother or child. “We are not doing any harm if women are asked to continue after the first trimester. From the claim she made, she is right, but you are also not doing badly for the patients if you ask them to continue,” he said.
Dr. Olatunbosun added that some pregnant women require higher doses of folic acid throughout their pregnancy, especially those with a history of birth defects. “For example, patients who have had issues of congenital anomalies, maybe neural defects in their previous pregnancies, we don’t ask them to stop. We sometimes double their folic acid dose and instruct them to continue until delivery,” he noted.
Conclusion
While it is true that folic acid is most essential during the first trimester to prevent neural tube defects, medical experts and scientific evidence confirm that continuing folic acid into the second and third trimesters poses no harm and may offer additional benefits for both mother and baby.
