Daily Folate (Folic Acid) Intake Calculator
NIH-recommended daily folate intake in mcg DFE, by age and pregnancy or breastfeeding status.
A general population guideline (NIH RDA), not medical advice — many prenatal vitamins are formulated around the pregnancy target specifically.
Recommended daily folate
400 mcg DFE
NIH RDA guideline
For informational and educational purposes only — not medical advice, and not a substitute for consulting a qualified professional about your specific situation. TrueMeasureKit is not liable for decisions made based on these results. See our Terms of Service.
Why pregnancy carries the biggest jump of any nutrient here
Folate is essential for DNA synthesis and cell division, which makes it especially critical during the earliest weeks of pregnancy when the neural tube is forming — often before a person even knows they're pregnant. That's why public health guidance emphasizes reaching the target before conception, not just after, and why the pregnancy RDA of 600 mcg DFE is 50% higher than the general adult baseline.
Frequently asked questions
Why is folate especially emphasized during pregnancy?
Adequate folate intake before and during early pregnancy is strongly associated with reduced risk of neural tube defects, which is why the recommended intake rises significantly for pregnancy and many prenatal vitamins are formulated around it.
What's mcg DFE?
Dietary Folate Equivalents — a unit that adjusts for the fact that synthetic folic acid (in fortified foods and supplements) is absorbed more efficiently than natural folate in food, so intakes from different sources can be compared on the same scale.