Two years ago, I was unintentionally poisoning myself. I was taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid in it. I know, you’re thinking…”so what”, right? What’s so bad about that? Well, if you have MTHFR, a very common genetic mutation which prevents your body from processing folic acid correctly, it can cause serious issues and complications, especially during pregnancy. My story starts back when I had an early miscarriage last year.

Years ago, my mother asked my husband and I to take a genetic test just so we have the information if needed in the future. It may sound excessive to do, but my family owned a home business specializing in preventative health and this was their newest product at that time. After losing my first pregnancy, my mom dug up my genetic report and looked at the results out of curiosity to see if anything stood out. Two of my MTHFR genes (I know, it sure looks like a bad word, right?), the ones which are responsible for processing folic acid, were defective. This information sent me into a research frenzy on the topic.

Before I dive in, let me be clear; I am absolutely NO doctor or medical professional by any stretch. The information presented below I have learned from Dr. Ben Lynch, an expert in the MTHFR community, and his website. I am simply being my own advocate for my health, being proactive and doing all I can to try to start a family with my husband. My writing this is simply to share my experience, and what I have gone through and learned from it. If that could possibly help the health of just ONE person, then I have done my part in potentially making someone’s dream of becoming a parent come true.

What is MTHFR?

According to Dr. Ben Lynch, “MTHFR is a very common genetic defect that affects approximately 1 in 4 people seriously and nearly 1 in 2 people mildly. The MTHFR gene has a simple, but highly critical, function surrounding how your body utilizes folic acid and other forms of folate. Those with the variant of MTHFR called C667T have a 40% to 60% decreased ability to produce the body’s most active form of folate called methylfolate. Methylfolate is a critical nutrient affecting neurotransmitter production, DNA regulation, immunity and the cardiovascular system. Indirectly, methylfolate affects hormone levels and detoxification” (mthfr.net). The MTHFR gene impacts so many systems because it is in every single cell of your body.

Folic acid is NOT the same thing as folate. It still has to be broken down into methylfolate for the body to use it. For me, folic acid is problematic because it actually blocks the body’s absorption of natural folate and methylfolate. By my taking a folic acid prenatal for several months, I was unknowingly messing up my body’s methylation process. My folate level must have been low since my body wasn’t able to properly break down folic acid and actually clogged up my body’s ability to methylate (I don’t know this for sure because my my lab tests were done after I had already switched to the proper nutrition and supplementation).

What is the difference between folic acid and folate?

I like to explain folic acid like this. Imagine you have pure cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup. Your body can much more easily break down sugar compared to a synthetic version such as high fructose corn syrup. Folic acid is the high fructose corn syrup; it’s a synthetic form of vitamin B9, and some people just can’t process it. Not only can it not be processed properly, it also builds up toxins within your system creating a snowball effect and causes other systems to not function properly. High levels of un-metabolized folic acid can increase cancer risk and b12 deficiency.

Folate, which is naturally found in dark leafy greens, can easily be processed and effectively absorbed. We all know how important folate is, particularly when it comes to pregnancy. The problem is that people generally assume folate and folic acid are the same thing, which they are most definitely not. And what blew my mind the most was when I went through my pantry and saw how many products with folic acid in them. But more on that later.

What problems can it create?

MTHFR and folic acid can cause low folate levels and raise the risk for a large list of issues and illnesses for the mother; infertility, recurrent pregnancy loss, blood clots, postpartum depression, high homocysteine levels (also can cause heart disease, stroke, pre-eclampsia, low birthweight, premature birth and miscarriage). The baby’s health is also at risk for neural tube defects, spina bifida, anacephaly, autism, ADD/ADHD and Down’s syndrome. It is important to note that some people can have perfectly healthy children and pregnancies even with this genetic mutation.

This doesn’t affect just women, either. Men’s folate levels and diet can also impact birth defects or diseases in their children.

My personal findings…

My genetic report showed that I am compound heterozygous MTHFR, which means that I have a mutation in two different MTHFR genes; MTHFR 677 and MTHFR 1298. My defect in the MTHFR 677 gene raises blood clot risk as well as a 40-60% decreased ability to produce methylfolate.

I took matters into my own hands, and after days of research (Dr. Ben Lynch and his website are a wealth of great information) I learned that the best way to reverse the effects of taking folic acid is to cut it out of your diet and supplement with a high dose of pure methylfolate so your body doesn’t have to break it down. I made the switch immediately, and also made sure I was taking a high quality B complex supplement containing methylcobalamin. I also decided to begin taking a baby aspirin to help prevent any potential blood clot issues. Some women with homozygous mutations may need to take more medication (Lovenox or Heparin) than a simple baby aspirin to prevent blood clot issues and carry to term, so it is important to know your own genetic situation. There are SO many different ways to test for infertility and miscarriage issues that are not touched upon here (thyroid function, other genetic variants, etc).

After bringing all this information to my doctor, who was vaguely familiar with MTHFR, he ran a full panel of blood work (folate, vitamin D and B, thyroid, cholesterol, lipid, etc) and agreed that I take a daily baby aspirin. At that point I had already been taking the methylfolate supplement for almost a month. My results came back normal, which I assume was because I was already in the process of fixing the folate deficiency I had created.

I then sought out a MTHFR specialist (I found her by searching here) to help me fine tune my supplementation to reverse any damage I may have done and have a healthy pregnancy in the future. The specialist did a series of tests and additional blood work. We looked at ferritin, cortisol, DHEA, detailed thyroid (TSH, Free T4, Free T3, TPO, reverse T3), homocysteine, BH4, progesterone, iron and TIBC. Everything looked good, and we concluded that I was supplementing correctly and covering all the bases to help optimize my health.

Why is this the first you’ve heard of it?

The first major problem I have come across with MTHFR is that doctors (mine included) don’t understand the difference between folic acid and folate. They use these terms interchangeably. My doctor initially thought that in order to fix the MTHFR mutation, I must supplement heavily with more folic acid to make up for the fact that I don’t process it correctly. WRONG! This is the exact opposite of what should be done! It must be eliminated entirely, because adding more folic acid makes the problem worse. Folate must be supplemented so the body doesn’t have to break it down.

The widespread prenatal advice is to take folic acid.  Women are not aware of the potential problems with folic acid, and the medical community needs to catch up with this information.

What immediate changes could I make to prevent potential MTHFR issues?

Now, I may have gone a bit overboard. I stayed away from folic acid once I put all this information together. I made sure I didn’t eat anything (as best I could) that may have contained it. This means eliminating any enriched foods from my diet. Read the labels of your food in your pantry right now. When I did this, I was floored to see how many things included folic acid! Flour is usually enriched with folic acid, so take a look at your processed carbohydrates such as cereal, pasta and bread. The good news is there are numerous products you can easily switch to. I use an unenriched organic flour for my baking needs. Many gluten free options also work well to switch to.

I immediately stopped taking the folic acid prenatal vitamin I was on and switched to one with pure folate specifically for those with MTHFR. I even added a folate supplement in addition to my prenatal vitamin to help correct the folic acid in my system. I am not selling anything, but I am happy to share with you what vitamin I went on if you send me a message or comment below.

Should I do genetic testing?

If you are concerned you may have this defect, you honestly don’t need to take a genetic test if you don’t want to. You could simply just replace your folic acid with folate in your vitamin and diet as a preventative measure. However, for me, knowledge is power and I personally find comfort in knowing anything that may be a factor in my health. There are so many different processes that can be affected by genetics, so taking an individual approach towards addressing health concerns is paramount. I learned I have a couple other genetic mutations that I also addressed with proper nutrition and supplementation, and I truly believe the combination of correctly supplementing has led to a successful and healthy pregnancy this second time around. Again, I am not selling anything, but I am happy to share with you what genetic test I did if you send me a message or comment below.

More information?

I strongly encourage you to be your own advocate for your health. If you are considering starting a family in the future, I highly recommend both you and your partner evaluate your diet and supplementation even if you don’t have any current health concerns. While there is no way to definitively tell if my first pregnancy loss was due to MTHFR, I can rest assured that for my second pregnancy I have done everything I can to give my baby the healthiest start possible.

A great resource for more information can be found at mthfr.net.