HINT: Women of childbearing age should consume 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid every day. In 1992, the U. S. Public Health Service (PHS) recommended that all women of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms (0.4 milligrams) of folic acid every day to reduce their risk of having an NTD-affected pregnancy. For women who have already had a pregnancy affected by an NTD, the PHS recommends talking with a doctor about taking a much larger amount of folic acid (4000 micrograms [4 milligrams]), starting one month before conception and continuing throughout the first three months of pregnancy. In 1998, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommended that to reduce their risk for an NTD-affected pregnancy, women capable of becoming pregnant should take 400 micrograms of synthetic folic acid daily, from fortified foods or supplements or a combination of the two, in addition to consuming food folate from a varied diet.