First off let me say congrats! and prenatal vitamins are good, during pregnancy, and after. It's especially important to take them in the beginning. Most women don't find out they're prego till like 6 weeks so it's okay that you haven't had any vitamins but you need to start prenatals like asap. Walmart has some pretty cheap and you can just get a little bottle till you go see you doctor. or if you can get into a health dept sooner they usually give you a bottle for free (mine did) good luck.

You Need to be taking pre-natal vitamins throughout your pregnancy! folic acid is very, very important in preventing spin abnormalities and other potential problems... start taking your vitamins asap! Congratulations!

An article in the New York Times named micro nutrients, especially folic acid, the "world's most luscious food," since absence of folic acid and a handful of other micro nutrients causes otherwise preventable deformities and diseases, especially in fetal development. The article claims adding folic acid and micro nutrients to the food supply of developing countries could be more cost effective than any other single action in improving world health.

You can't take too much iron. But a folic acid overdose is virtually unheard of. The body will not absorb more than 1,000 milligrams of folic acid per day, even if more is taken, according to the Nutritional Supplements Health Guide website. So anything you take over that per day is a waste of money. Congratulations by the way.

You should start taking folic acid prior to getting pregnant, even if you are not trying to conceive. Neural tube defects usually develop very early in pregnancy (18-30 days after conception) often before a women even knows that she is pregnant. If you find you are pregnant and have not been taking folic acid, you may start now to help prevent any neural defects that would develop in the first three months of pregnancy.

It's not too late.As soon as possible take folic acid and foods that are rich in folic acid. The absence of folic acid increases the possibility of a neural tube defect which are defects in the development of the spinal cord.

5weeks is not yet too late.But even if you haven't taken folic acid yet you have probably gotten enough folic acid from cereals, bread, and vegetables. In your situation, the answer to when to take prenatal vitamins is right now..Also take vitamin E and Vit. C to boost your immune system.

Pregnant woman's requirement for iron doubles during pregnancy. Both mother and her baby need prenatal vitamins such as iron for the formation of the red blood cells. Lack of iron during pregnancy can lead to anemia.

The strongest argument for pregnant women needing folic acid supplements comes from the tie between adequate folate intake and reduced risk of having a baby with neural tube defects. Neural tube defects are a category of congenital birth defects affecting the brain and spinal cord, the most common being spina bifida and anencephaly. Neural tube defects can be severely disabling or even fatal for a developing baby.