Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid) Test

Vitamin B9 or Folic Acid helps the body to utilise amino acids. It also helps the body to form blood cells in the bone marrow, and repairs the tissues and cells. The Vitamin B9 test is performed to check the deficiency of vitamin in the liquid portion of the blood.

You do not need to prepare specifically for the test. However, you might be asked to fast for 6 – 8 hours prior to the test. You also have to make sure that you have gathered all the information from your doctor and are well aware of the process and the medications. Apart from this, your doctor would also like to know the medicines or supplements you take as certain medications can affect the test.

After analysing your blood sample, the results come out. Normal range of Vitamin B9 is 140 – 628 ng/ml. Normal result means there is no deficiency and the symptoms are caused by other reasons. If the level of Vitamin B9 is low, it means that there is deficiency. However, this does not indicate that the situation is too severe and hence, does not indicate towards anaemia or associated neuropathy. If you are already being treated and your result shows a normal or elevated amount of Vitamin B9, it means that the treatment is effective.

For the test, your doctor or lab technician will place a plastic band on your upper arm; this is done to fill up the vein with blood and swell up. Then, he or she will clean the area with an antiseptic and put a needle. He will then draw a blood and keep it in a vial or tube. The plastic band and needle are removed and a bandage is applied to the area to stop the bleeding. The whole process usually takes a few minutes. The collected blood is then sent to the lab for analysis.