Can folic acid supplementation prevent miscarriage?

For pregnant women, folic acid plays a very important role. This importance can be realized in advance by women in the pregnancy preparation period. During the pregnancy preparation period, folic acid should be supplemented appropriately, which can play a good role in regulating the body, especially preventing fetal malformations and preventing fetal miscarriage. In addition, folic acid should also be supplemented in time in the three months after pregnancy, which can also play a role in regulating the body.

1. Start taking folic acid supplements three months before pregnancy.

my country's Nutrition Association recommends that folic acid supplementation can be started from the first 90 days of pregnancy to ensure that the folic acid level in the body is maintained at a certain level, to prepare for the baby's folic acid storage, and to allow the baby to grow in an environment with sufficient folic acid in the early stages. The fetus' neural tube begins to develop in the first four weeks of pregnancy, but by the time a pregnant woman realizes she is pregnant, the fetus's neural tube has already closed, so it is already too late.

2. Folic acid supplementation needs to continue throughout pregnancy.

The three months before and three months after pregnancy are the critical time for folic acid supplementation. Even if you take folic acid tablets in time, the folic acid content in your body cannot be increased rapidly in a short period of time. Therefore, it is recommended that folic acid supplementation should continue throughout the pregnancy. As the baby grows and develops in the mother's body, the growth of the mother's own red blood cells, changes in the breasts, the production of the baby's DNA, and the formation of the placenta all require a large amount of folic acid. If the folic acid content is insufficient, it will cause fetal malformations, premature birth, developmental delay, etc., while pregnant women will experience symptoms such as placental abruption, erythrocytic anemia, and gestational hypertension. It can be said that it has a great impact on both adults and babies.

Generally, women of childbearing age should take 400 micrograms of folic acid daily starting three months before pregnancy to prevent fetal neural tube defects. You don't need to take folic acid orally after three months of pregnancy, but the more folic acid you take is not necessarily better. Excessive folic acid intake may have side effects for pregnant women. Long-term excessive intake of folic acid can interfere with zinc metabolism in pregnant women. Zinc deficiency will also affect fetal development. If you do not take folic acid in time before pregnancy, you should continue to supplement it after pregnancy until the 12th week of pregnancy.