In which month do pregnant women usually start taking calcium tablets?

Everyone knows that pregnancy is a special period, and all aspects of nutrition in the body are provided for the pregnant woman herself and the fetus. Therefore, nutritional supplements are needed more than usual, but many women who have just become pregnant do not understand it very well and are not familiar with some situations. Let’s take a look at what everyone wants to know: in which month should pregnant women start taking calcium tablets? Let’s learn about it together and hope that everyone can gain something from it.

1. Every pregnant woman needs calcium supplementation. Because the calcium needed for fetal bone formation comes entirely from the mother, the amount of calcium consumed by expectant mothers is far greater than that of ordinary people, and calcium in the diet alone is not enough. Therefore, expectant mothers are required to take more calcium supplements during pregnancy. If insufficient calcium intake occurs during pregnancy and mild calcium deficiency occurs, calcium salts in the mother's bones can be mobilized to maintain normal blood calcium concentrations. If the mother is severely deficient in calcium, it can cause muscle spasms, calf cramps, and convulsions in the hands and feet. It can also lead to osteoporosis in pregnant women and cause osteomalacia.

However, it should be noted that calcium supplementation should first start with enriching food types and balancing the diet structure, and then choosing calcium supplement products.

2. When should calcium supplementation start?

It would be ideal if you could start taking calcium supplements when you are preparing for pregnancy. At this time, the body needs about 800 mg of calcium per day. In addition to taking it from food, you need to take an additional 200-300 mg of calcium supplement every day. Expectant mothers should not take calcium supplements later than 20 weeks of pregnancy, because this stage is the period when the fetus's bones are formed and developed most vigorously.

3. Can I supplement calcium on my own?

As long as pregnant women understand the correct knowledge of calcium supplementation, they can buy calcium supplements or health products from regular manufacturers at pharmacies. A doctor's prescription is not necessarily required, but you must pay attention to the dosage and the type of calcium you choose. Generally speaking, the absorption capacity of calcium carbonate products on the market is still good, but it also depends on the size of the calcium molecular particles during the pharmaceutical process. Small particles are easily absorbed.

4. How to take calcium supplements correctly?

Recently, some studies on calcium supplementation in the United States have shown that taking a large amount of calcium at one time will block the receptors, resulting in the inability to absorb calcium. Therefore, do not take too much calcium each time. Pregnant women can take 600-800 mg of calcium in 2-3 doses. Try not to take more than 500 mg at a time.

5. Is there any harm in taking too much calcium?

If there is not enough vitamin D while supplementing calcium, calcium cannot be absorbed by the human body. But if you are not careful, taking too much vitamin D can cause human poisoning. Excessive calcium supplementation can easily cause hypercalcemia and even lead to kidney stones.

6. Do I need to supplement calcium when taking multivitamins?

It does not depend on the type of calcium you take, but on the total amount of calcium you take. The calcium content in our diet is relatively low, so under normal circumstances, pregnant women need 1200 mg of calcium per day. In addition to absorbing from food, you should also take an additional 600-800 mg of calcium supplements.

7. Which foods are high in calcium?

Milk, cheese, eggs, soy products, kelp, seaweed, dried shrimps, sesame seeds, hawthorn, sea fish, vegetables, etc.

Calcium tablets are products that supplement the body's missing elements and can be consumed by many growing children. At the same time, some pregnant women can also take it during a certain period. After reading the introduction above, I believe everyone knows in which month pregnant women should start taking calcium tablets. In this way, it will not affect their health due to ignorance.