What is the role of trace elements in pregnant women?

We all know that pregnant women need to undergo a lot of examinations during pregnancy. Pregnancy is the most important time for us to protect our bodies, because pregnancy is a sign of the birth of a new life. Checking trace elements for pregnant women is also an important examination. So what is the role of checking trace elements for pregnant women? Let’s take a look below.

Studies have shown that there are more than ten trace elements that are essential to the human body. Trace elements play a very important role in human growth and development, cell division, tissue repair, endocrine, enzymes and other physiological and biochemical functions. For pregnant women, trace elements have other important functions besides these. Here are some trace elements that are of special significance to pregnant women:

Copper may prevent stillbirth

Copper is one of the essential metal elements for the human body. It helps in the synthesis of collagen and elastin. If pregnant women are deficient in copper, it will affect the function of the placenta and cause hematopoietic dysfunction, leading to fetal developmental retardation and greatly increasing the probability of fetal stillbirth. Therefore, pregnant women must take in enough copper. However, if copper is consumed too much, it will also affect the health of the fetus. According to clinical statistics, many children with congenital idiocy are caused by the high copper content in their mothers' bodies during pregnancy.

Iodine helps with fetal development

Iodine is an essential trace element for the human body, and many areas in my country are severely iodine-deficient. Iodine not only helps to improve thyroid function, but also helps to increase the body's basal metabolic rate and improve the normal functions of various organs such as gastrointestinal, sexual and reproductive functions. If a pregnant woman is iodine deficient, it will not only cause harm to herself, but also affect the fetus, causing it to grow slowly or even stagnate. In addition, iodine deficiency will also affect the development of the fetal cerebral cortex, thereby affecting the fetal intellectual development, and may cause the baby to have mental retardation, deafness or dementia. Many children with congenital idiocy are caused by iodine deficiency. In addition, iodine deficiency may also cause the fetus to be born short or cause microcephaly. Therefore, pregnant women should eat more iodine-rich foods, such as kelp, fish, shrimp and other seafood, which can supplement the body with sufficient iodine. However, it should be noted that the intake of iodine should not be excessive. If too much is consumed, it will also affect health.

Zinc is a good aid in childbirth

Studies have shown that zinc has a certain effect in aiding childbirth. If pregnant women are zinc deficient, they may experience uterine atony, dystocia, and greatly increase the risk of postpartum hemorrhage. If pregnant women supplement adequate zinc during pregnancy, the possibility of natural delivery can be greatly increased, especially for older women over 30 years old, who have a relatively low possibility of natural delivery. They should also eat more foods high in zinc during pregnancy, such as meat, milk, fish, eggs, oysters, etc.

The relationship between nutrition during pregnancy and fetal development is directly proportional. So if we want to give birth to a healthy and smart baby, we must strengthen nutrition, eat more foods with high nutritional value, eat more fruits and vegetables, make nutrition balanced, and pregnant women’s trace element checks must be normal. In this way, we can let our baby grow up well. We must strengthen the trace elements.