If you’re pregnant, not having enough vitamin B12 can increase the risk of your baby developing a serious birth defect known as a neural tube defect. The neural tube is a narrow channel that eventually forms the brain and spinal cord.

Another study in pregnant women showed that extremely high B12 levels due to vitamin supplements increased the risk of autism spectrum disorder in their offspring ( 9 ).

1. How much is the Vitamin B12 test cost? Vitamin B12 test can cost from ₹411 to ₹1100 in India.

Signs You Do Not Get Enough Vitamin B12 For women of childbearing age, B12 deficiencies are quite rare, but if they occur it increases the risk of your baby developing an NTD (Neural Tube Defect). This is similar to problems that may result from low B9 (folate).

The normal range for vitamin B12 can vary slightly depending on the lab. But a normal level of vitamin B12 in your bloodstream is generally between 190 and 950 picograms per milliliter (pg/mL). Between 200 to 300 pg/mL is considered borderline and your doctor may do more testing.

Why It Is Done A vitamin B12 test is used to: Check for vitamin B12 deficiency anemia. There are several risk factors for this anemia, such as those who have had stomach or intestinal surgery, small intestine problems, or people with a family history of this anemia.

The most common cause of high B12 in the blood is due to recent ingestion or injection of supplemental vitamin B12. We don’t worry about overdosing on B12 supplements because excess can be excreted in your urine. It could also be possibly from your diet if high in animal products such as meat, eggs, and shellfish.

B12 deficiency is rare; particularly in pregnancy however B12 deficiency should be excluded in women with unexplained anaemia, or in women who fail to respond to treatment for iron deficiency anaemia. In normal pregnancy, B12 levels fall by 30% by the third trimester of pregnancy1.

Women should be followed up and investigated individually by their GP following delivery. If they have received treatment for B12 deficiency during the pregnancy, B12 levels should be reassessed 2 months post-partum to confirm if the levels have returned to the normal ranges.

Vitamin B12 deficiency can considerably affect your ability to conceive or carry a healthy baby to term. If you’ve had trouble conceiving, or lost pregnancies through miscarriage, you should have your vitamin B12 levels checked – please also see our Male and female infertility page.

Dietary requirements for B12 are 2.4mcg/day for non-pregnant women6. As B12 is animal sourced the recommendations for B12 supplements are for vegetarians and vegan women in pregnancy and lactation, with a recommended daily intake (RDI) 6 mcg/ day)7.