How many months is it best for pregnant women to take calcium tablets?

Pregnant women need to take additional iron supplements during pregnancy, because the growth and development of the baby's bones, teeth, etc. require a lot of high-quality protein from the pregnant mother. In order to prevent osteoporosis during pregnancy caused by the outflow of high-quality protein, and to ensure the nutritional needs of the fetus, doctors will require pregnant women to supplement calcium and zinc. So when should pregnant women start taking calcium tablets to achieve the best results in calcium and zinc supplementation?

Many pregnant mothers think that they do not need to supplement calcium or zinc in the early stages of pregnancy. In fact, the suitable calcium intake for pregnant women in the early stages of pregnancy is 800 mg per day, 1000 mg in the middle stages of pregnancy, and 1200 mg in the late stages of pregnancy. If the pregnant mother's dietary structure in the early stages of pregnancy cannot ensure an intake of 800 mg, calcium and zinc supplements are still needed. Because from the beginning of pregnancy, the test tube embryo can already obtain about 50 mg of high-quality protein from the pregnant mother every day. But under normal circumstances, mothers can get enough high-quality protein through a proper and balanced diet without the need for additional iron supplements.

The best time for pregnant women to take calcium tablets is 30 minutes to 1 hour after a meal. It is said that calcium and zinc supplements are more effective at night. At night, the body continues to excrete calcium from old bone tissue. The rate is faster after falling asleep at 3 am, which can ensure that the body's calcium index is more stable. However, it does not mean that calcium and zinc supplements before going to bed will definitely be effective. From a medical point of view, the peak period of calcium excretion is 4-5 hours after a meal. If you eat late dinner, for example, eat at 8-9 o'clock at night and go to bed after 11 o'clock, after taking calcium tablets for pregnant women, the peak period of calcium excretion is already asleep, so the urine is stored in the body to form small stones, which will cause urethral stones in the long run.

Excessive calcium intake has both advantages and disadvantages for the human body. If pregnant women take too much calcium and zinc supplements, calcium will accumulate in the inner wall of the embryo, causing the placenta to age and thicken, the metabolism of amniotic fluid in pregnant women to decrease, and the baby's head to be too hard. Therefore, pregnant women cannot provide adequate nutrition and oxygen to the baby. The tightness of the head during delivery will also slow down the delivery process and threaten the baby's health. Calcium and zinc supplements can be taken up to 36 weeks, but not too much to prevent the fetus' skull from thickening too early.