Do pregnant women need to take folic acid all the time?

Women should always pay attention to changes in their bodies when they are pregnant. Pregnant women must do what is necessary during pregnancy. Folic acid has high nutritional value for pregnant women's bodies because it is of great significance to the fetus. Some pregnant women do not understand that a certain amount of folic acid is required. They cannot take folic acid tablets casually. Some things need to be paid attention to when supplementing folic acid. Do pregnant women need to take folic acid all the time? Let’s take a look at it next.

1. Do pregnant women need to take folic acid all the time?

Pregnant women need to take folic acid according to their own situation. There are strict regulations on the amount of folic acid that pregnant women and ordinary people should take. The amount for pregnant women is higher than that for ordinary people, but the range of folic acid must be healthy and regular and reasonable. If you take too much folic acid, it will be very bad. Taking too much folic acid will cause greater harm to the fetus. Pregnant women need four times more folic acid than normal people. The early pregnancy is a critical period for the differentiation of fetal organ systems and the formation of the placenta, and cell growth and division are very active. At this time, folic acid deficiency can lead to fetal neural tube defects, and can also cause malformations of the eyes, lips, palate, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, kidneys, bones and other organs. It can also cause early spontaneous abortion.

Three months before and three months after pregnancy. That is, with the time when sperm and egg combine as the axis, there are three months before and after, a total of 6 months.

2. What should you pay attention to when supplementing folic acid?

1. Supplement 600 mg daily. The total amount of folic acid in the human body is about 5 to 6 mg, but the human body cannot synthesize folic acid by itself and can only be absorbed from food.

The baby continues to grow and develop in the mother's body, and the mother's folic acid is transferred to him through the placenta. As the placental tissue and uterus continue to grow, the demand for folic acid becomes greater and greater. If it is not supplemented consciously, the folic acid level will decrease.

Experts believe that pregnant mothers need to supplement 600 to 800 micrograms of folic acid every day to meet the baby's growth needs and their own needs.

2. There are some requirements for folic acid supplementation. There are many foods that contain folic acid, but because folic acid becomes unstable when exposed to light and heat and easily loses its activity, the human body can only obtain very little folic acid from food. For example, vegetables lose 50% to 70% of folic acid after being stored for 2 to 3 days; cooking methods such as making soup will cause the loss of 50% to 95% of folic acid in food; vegetables soaked in salt water will also lose a lot of folic acid.

Therefore, pregnant mothers should change some cooking habits to reduce the loss of folic acid as much as possible, and increase the intake of foods rich in folic acid. If necessary, they can supplement with folic acid preparations, folic acid tablets, and multivitamin tablets.

3. Reminder

Folic acid cannot be taken all the time until you give birth. It is enough to take it in the first three months of pregnancy. Pregnant mothers can supplement calcium and iron appropriately, eat some vegetables and fruits, and go out more often to bask in the sun.