Should I take folic acid for 12 weeks or 16 weeks?

Folic acid is an essential vitamin supplement for women during pregnancy preparation and early pregnancy. You should know that folic acid plays a big role in genetics and fetal development. Even insufficient folic acid supplementation may cause cleft lip in the fetus. However, folic acid does not need to be supplemented all the time. It can be supplemented reasonably according to your own situation in the early stages of pregnancy. So, is the specific time for taking folic acid 12 weeks or 16 weeks?

The effects of folic acid on organisms are mainly manifested in the following aspects: participating in the metabolism of genetic material and protein; affecting the reproductive performance of animals; affecting the secretion of animal pancreas; promoting the growth of animals; and improving the body's immunity. Possible causes of folic acid deficiency include insufficient intake; increased requirements; intestinal absorption disorders; vitamin C deficiency; use of folic acid antagonists; liver disease, etc.

The first trimester refers to the period from the first week to the thirteenth week of pregnancy. In the early stages of pregnancy, pregnant women will have stronger symptoms, and some pregnant women begin to experience early pregnancy reactions (fatigue, weakness, drowsiness, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, etc.).

The most important thing to note in early pregnancy is to supplement folic acid, because expectant mothers' demand for folic acid throughout the pregnancy is 1.5 to 2 times that before pregnancy. Taking 0.4 mg of folic acid per day in early pregnancy can greatly reduce the incidence of fetal neural tube defects and prevent birth defects in newborns.

Severe pregnancy reactions can also affect the appetite of expectant mothers, and nutrition will naturally not keep up. Tangerine peel, which has the effects of promoting qi and strengthening the spleen, warming the stomach and stopping vomiting, and Chinese yam, which can strengthen the spleen and stomach, and replenish qi, can effectively relieve pregnancy reactions.

After pregnancy, women's blood volume increases, which can easily cause physiological anemia, resulting in a decrease in the blood's ability to transport nutrients to the baby, affecting the baby's growth and development. During pregnancy, you can supplement iron appropriately and increase the consumption of honey, jujube, wolfberry, yam, lotus seeds, tangerine peel, enoki mushrooms, etc., especially jujube, which contains ferrous ions. Ferrous ions are mainly used to synthesize red blood cells and maintain the normal concentration of blood. Combining Chinese and Western medicine can comprehensively replenish the blood.

Generally speaking, the requirement for normal people is 100~200ug/d, 200ug/d for adults, and 400ug/d for pregnant women and nursing mothers.