Is Folic Acid Helpful In Pregnancy?

Folic acid is usually advised by doctors for women who are just starting to plan a pregnancy. But folic acid is not for getting pregnant. It helps people at high risk of heart disease, it also helps with folate deficiency anemia, and those taking methotrexate.

What is Folic acid?

Folic acid is helpful in making Red Blood Cells, which carry oxygen around the body. If a person has a deficiency of folic acid, then our body can make abnormally large red blood cells that may not work properly. If we do not have enough folic acid, the body can make abnormally large red blood cells that may not work properly. The folate deficiency can cause tiredness and you feel some other symptoms. Let’s discuss what are the other symptoms of low folic acid.

What are the symptoms of low folic acid?

Extreme tiredness.

A lack of energy

Pins and needles (paraesthesia)

A sore and red tongue

Mouth ulcers

Muscle weakness

Disturbed vision

Psychological problems

What is folic acid for?

Folic acid helps in the production of red blood cells in our body. It’s a man-made version of vitamin B9, and it’s not just for moms-to-be.

Folic acid treats folate deficiency anemia. It occurs when a person does not get enough folic acid from foods and does not take vitamins. Other causes include pregnancy, lower digestive tract disorders (such as celiac disease), certain medications, or problems with alcohol.

Folic acid supplements are widely used to reduce the risk of heart and blood vessel disease. It works with vitamins B6 and B12 to help control blood levels of homocysteine.

Vitamin B9 or Folic acid 1000 mcg is sometimes used to reduce the side effects of methotrexate, a dissolvable vitamin supplement that helps in cellular division, maturation of red blood cells, synthesis and repair of genetic material to treat severe arthritis, Crohn’s disease, anemia, reduce risk of birth defects such as spina bifida, and psoriasis.

Why take folic acid during pregnancy

Women during pregnancy require 10 times more folic acid than usual for the development of the child. Low maternal folic acid levels are strongly associated with damage to the baby’s brain, skull, and spinal cord known as neural tube defects. And also with other congenital external (cleft lip and palate) and internal (bladder, kidney) defects. Therefore, pregnant women and those planning pregnancy should take folic acid supplements.

Folic acid is recommended to be taken at the planning stage and at least until the 12th week of pregnancy. This is due to the fact that the body and most of its internal organs are formed during this period. Folic acid helps this to happen normally. Your doctor may also advise you to increase your folic acid dose if your child is at increased risk of developing neural tube defects.

Most folic acid supplements and prenatal multivitamins contain at least 1000 micrograms of folic acid per tablet. It is the daily recommended dose you should intake of folic acid. Folic acid can also be taken while breastfeeding. It passes into milk but is safe for the baby too.

How to Get Enough Folic Acid?

Pregnant women are advised to take folic acid dissolvable supplements to avoid overeating in an attempt to get enough natural vitamin B9.

For the rest, not pregnant, folic acid is best obtained from food. A balanced diet usually provides adequate amounts of vitamin B9. Folic acid is found mainly in dark green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, and nuts. Fruits rich in folic acid: oranges, lemons, bananas, melons, strawberries are also good sources of folic acid.

You can try fortified foods — rice, pasta, bread, breakfast cereals. Such products must have a special label on the packaging.

You can get enough folic acid in the form of supplements. Before buying, look at the ingredients to make sure the vitamins you choose contain the recommended daily amount of folic acid (1000 mcg).

In the world recommendations, they write that there is no difference in how to get vitamin B9: from food or from supplements. It mostly talks about drinking folic acid, but there are organizations that advise taking folic acid either from whole food sources or supplements containing the natural form of folate.

It is believed that methyl folate is more effective than folic acid. But at the moment there is no reliable data that would confirm this. Studies are underway in which scientists are trying to understand if there is a link between the absorption of folates and folic acid and female genetic mutations — 60% of women have a defect in the MTHFR gene, in which women cannot absorb B vitamins properly.

Folic Acid When Planning Pregnancy

Folic acid is responsible for the growth of cells and the preservation of DNA cells, and also reduces the likelihood of developing tumors of the uterus (fibroids) and pelvic organs. It should be taken 3 months before the intended conception in the amount of 0.4 mg per day. Do not stop taking folic acid during pregnancy as it reduces the risk of neural tube defects in the fetus. Folic acid is found in nuts, citrus fruits, leafy greens, and legumes, but may not be adequate. Folic acid when planning a pregnancy increases the fertility of a woman, and already during pregnancy contributes to the healthy growth of the embryo.

Conclusion:-

Folic acid can 36% increase the chance of pregnancy in women with short cycles such as less than 27 days. On the other hand, for women with long cycles of more than 30 days, folic acid increased the chances of pregnancy by 34%. Folic acid is not only beneficial for women planning a pregnancy but also for preventing heart disease risk, folate deficiency anemia, and much more.

Resource Link: https://vitaminsworld.medium.com/is-folic-acid-helpful-in-pregnancy-ed0df68d5981