What will happen if pregnant women lack folic acid?

Folic acid deficiency has a great impact on a person's physical health. First of all, our bodies need essential folic acid, and during pregnancy, the growth and development of the fetus requires the absorption of sufficient folic acid. Therefore, if the pregnant woman's body lacks folic acid, it is very likely to cause the child to have spinal retardation, anemia, premature birth, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Folic acid deficiency in pregnant women is very harmful, so you should pay attention to folic acid supplementation before and after pregnancy.

Effects of folic acid deficiency in pregnant women on the fetus

1. Anencephaly

If a pregnant woman lacks folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy, severe cases may lead to anencephaly in the fetus. Anencephaly is a type of neural tube defect. From the symptoms, anencephaly has no developed skull, and its eyes are strongly protruding, its neck is very short, its brain tissue is extremely primitive and a large amount of it is exposed, so it cannot survive.

2. Spina Bifida

Another congenital malformation that may be caused by folic acid deficiency in early pregnancy is spina bifida. Some infants with spina bifida have a bulging sac on their waist with a very thin wall that is light-permeable. When the baby cries, the tension of the sac increases. If it ruptures, it is easy to get infected and cause meningitis. Some patients may develop symptoms such as enuresis and urinary incontinence when they reach adulthood.

3. Developmental Delay

If pregnant women are deficient in folic acid during the second and third trimesters, the fetus will develop slowly in the mother's uterus. The birth weight of the fetus will be lower than that of a normal fetus, and it may affect the physical and intellectual development of the child in the future.

Effects of folic acid deficiency on pregnant women

1. Anemia

Folic acid is an important auxiliary element for the human body's hematopoietic function. People who lack folic acid will have difficulty absorbing iron, leading to anemia.

2. Miscarriage, premature birth

The folic acid level in pregnant women is significantly correlated with the birth weight of their babies. The levels of serum and red blood cell folate (especially red blood cell folate level) in pregnant women in the third month can be used as a predictive indicator for the birth weight of newborns. At the same time, the folic acid level of pregnant women is related to the incidence of miscarriage and premature birth. The higher the folic acid level, the lower the incidence. On the contrary, if there is a lack of folic acid, the miscarriage rate and premature birth rate will increase.

3. Cardiovascular disease

When folic acid is deficient, methionine synthesis is blocked and homocysteine ​​in the blood increases. High concentrations of homocysteine ​​damage vascular endothelial cells and can activate platelet adhesion and aggregation, becoming a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

It can be seen from this that pregnant women must pay attention to folic acid supplementation during pregnancy. Folic acid can be obtained through food supplements or by taking nutritional supplements containing folic acid.