The Reproductive Health Clinic is located at 40 Coxe Avenue in Downtown Asheville and is open Monday - Friday 8 AM-5 PM. Call (828) 250-5000 to make your appointment today.
Folic acid is an important supplement for every female-bodied person to take; pregnant or not. The general health benefits include reduced risk of stroke, cancer, heart disease, depression, and anxiety. It also helps repair skin and maintains strong and healthy muscles. The health benefits are so vast that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires food manufacturers to add folic acid to commonly consumed foods like breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, and rice. However, it is nearly impossible to consume the recommended amount of daily folic acid through diet alone.
Folic acid is especially important for pregnant people or people who would like to become pregnant because it prevents serious neural tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly in a developing fetus. According to the United Health Foundation, nearly ½ of all pregnancies are unintended making it essential that all people who are interested in becoming pregnant and having a baby be proactive and take the recommended dose of daily folic acid.
The Buncombe County Health and Human Services Reproductive Health Clinic provides a long list of services to support the reproductive goals and sexual health of all residents of all gender identities, even those who aren’t interested in having biological children. Services include:
- Free multivitamins with folic acid
- Wide variety of birth control
- Emergency contraception (pill or IUD)
- Same-day birth control without an exam
- Pregnancy testing
- Cervical cancer testing (Pap smears, HPV tests)
- Testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
- Testing and referral for treatment of HIV
- HIV Pre- and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP and PrEP)
- Infertility counseling
- Referrals for permanent birth control methods (getting “tubes tied” — tubal ligations and vasectomies)
- Counseling and referrals for pregnancy options
The Reproductive Health Clinic is located at 40 Coxe Avenue in Downtown Asheville and is open Monday - Friday 8 AM-5 PM. Call (828) 250-5000 to make your appointment today.