Is it necessary to supplement folic acid before pregnancy? What should I pay attention to?

In fact, most people know that the first three months of pregnancy are a relatively tense time. If you are not careful, miscarriage may occur. Therefore, doctors will recommend taking folic acid for three months. So is it necessary to take folic acid during pregnancy? What are the benefits of folic acid for pregnant women? Is it necessary to take it on time? The editor can introduce it.

Investigations and studies conducted by my country's Maternal and Infant Health Care Center have revealed that there is a very harmful disease called fetal neural tube defects, such as spina bifida, limb osteodystrophy, brain cavity malformation, anencephaly, etc., which have a high disability and mortality rate. The cause of the disease is closely related to folic acid deficiency. The folic acid level of women of childbearing age in my country is generally low, and the deficiency rate is higher in the north than in the south, higher in rural areas than in cities, and higher in winter and spring. Folic acid is one of the substances necessary for human cell growth and division. It is mainly involved in nucleic acid synthesis and promotes the synthesis of amino acids (amino acid foods) and proteins (protein foods). It is also involved in the synthesis of important compounds such as hemoglobin, adrenaline, choline, and creatine. In summer and autumn, the incidence of the disease coincides exactly with the distribution of folic acid deficiency rates.

The folic acid level in pregnant women is significantly lower than that in non-pregnant women, so the World Health Organization recommends that pregnant women should consume 400 micrograms, or 0.4 milligrams, of folic acid per day.

The 3-6 weeks after the start of pregnancy is the critical period for the growth and development of the embryo's central nervous system, and is also most susceptible to teratogenic factors. To prevent problems before they occur, women planning to become pregnant should eat more foods rich in folic acid and take 0.4 mg of folic acid daily starting from one month before pregnancy until three months after pregnancy. This can reduce the incidence of neural tube defects by 70%. Women who have given birth to babies with neurological defects and need to get pregnant again should go to the hospital for a check-up in time and take 5 mg of folic acid daily until 12 weeks after pregnancy.

Many people hope that the baby they give birth to will be healthy, so taking folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy can effectively prevent fetal malformations or signs of miscarriage, which will be of some help to both pregnant women and fetuses. Don't worry too much during pregnancy. Emotional stability is very important. Whether it is the fetal preservation plan in the early pregnancy or the fetal education in the late pregnancy, it needs to be taken seriously.