The harm of not taking folic acid tablets during pregnancy

In fact, many pregnant women will take folic acid tablets seriously three months before pregnancy. But once you are pregnant, you can actually take folic acid. At this time, you need to take folic acid tablets for three months. So if some pregnant women do not take folic acid tablets, is it bad for the baby? So is it bad for the fetus? This is what many people think. So is it harmful not to take folic acid tablets during pregnancy?

It doesn't matter, don't worry. In our mothers’ generation, they didn’t take any supplements, so weren’t we born healthy? If you are still in the early stages of pregnancy, it is not too late to make up for it. Now is an era that emphasizes eugenics, so we should try to do as much as we can for our baby. In the second trimester, it is time to supplement calcium! I wish you and your baby good health!

1. What is folic acid?

Folic acid is a B vitamin widely found in green vegetables. It was first extracted from plant leaves, so it was named "folic acid". It is a substance necessary for the growth and reproduction of human cells. It helps in the metabolism of protein.

2. What is the function of folic acid and why should pregnant women supplement folic acid?

If there is a lack of folic acid in the early stages of pregnancy, it can lead to neural tube defects in the fetus, thereby increasing the incidence of split-brain and anencephaly. Regular folic acid supplementation by pregnant women can prevent congenital malformations such as low birth weight, premature birth, and cleft palate (cleft lip), and it can promote the development of nerve cells and brain cells in infants and young children.

3. When should I start taking folic acid supplements?

It is necessary to start taking it before pregnancy in order to maintain a certain level of folic acid in the female body and ensure a better folic acid nutritional status in the early embryo. Because it takes 4 weeks for women to correct their folic acid deficiency after taking folic acid.

In this way, during the sensitive period of fetal neural tube formation in early pregnancy, sufficient folic acid can meet the needs of nervous system development, and it is necessary to take it consistently during the sensitive period of the first three months after pregnancy to achieve the best effect.

Although there is no harm if you do not take folic acid tablets during pregnancy, the patient can continue to eat fresh animal liver at this time, because this is also a dietary method to make up for it. Moreover, patients can not only eat beans, but also nuts.