Pregnancy is a great moment for every woman. However, in addition to excitement and joyful experiences, you should think about the health of future crumbs. And in order for him to be born healthy, it is necessary that the mother's body receive a complete set of necessary substances. And one of the most important elements is calcium for pregnant women in pills. Which one to choose is a difficult question, and that is why today we want to discuss it in more detail.
Need for calcium
In fact, our body needs it every day. But when you are pregnant, the picture changes dramatically. In addition to the fact that your body needs to support its own needs, it needs to allocate a significant amount of building material in order to grow the entire musculoskeletal system of the child in a matter of months, that is, the skeleton. Therefore, in no case can you rely on the fact that you have enough trace elements that you get from conventional products. It is very important to take calcium for pregnant women in pills. Which one to choose - you need to ask your doctor, because the individual characteristics of each organism cannot be taken into account in a short article. However, our goal is only to talk about the need of the future mother and options for her satisfaction.
In fact, the need is also determined by the age of the woman. If the pregnant woman is not more than 18 years old, then she needs 1300 mg per day. For older women, the figure is slightly reduced and amounts to about 1000 mg per day. It is in order to block it, and calcium for pregnant women is prescribed in tablets. Which one to choose - prompt doctors who observe a serious shortage of this essential mineral. This is primarily dangerous for the mother, because, covering only the needs of a growing organism, you leave your own musculoskeletal system without support. This threatens the early development of osteoporosis.
What to do to prevent calcium deficiency?
In fact, this is not the most scarce mineral, that is, it can be obtained in sufficient quantities from the most common food products. Before talking about calcium for pregnant women in tablets (which one to choose), let's determine its natural sources. We note one more point: after the birth of a child, during breastfeeding, you need calcium no less than during pregnancy, because the crumbs are still provided with everything necessary at the expense of the mother's body.
Natural sources of calcium
To get the required amount, you can use the simplest foods. So, a glass of natural yogurt will give you 440 mg of calcium, 30 g of roasted almonds - 75 mg. A very important source is fish: 100 g of sardines will give you 324 g of calcium. It is equally useful to eat cheese. And it can be almost any, mozzarella or cheddar. Just 30 g of this tasty product will give you 250 g of calcium. If you are worried about your weight, then pay attention to cabbage. By consuming 50 g of this healthy vegetable, you get 150 g of calcium. At the same time, keep in mind that at one time your body will not be able to absorb more than 500 mg of calcium.
The abundance of drugs on the market
Indeed, even just for the sake of interest, taking a look at the shelves in the pharmacy, we can conclude that it is not difficult to choose calcium for pregnant women in tablets. However, most drugs are not well absorbed by the body. That is why pharmacists continue to work on the creation of new calcium complexes that would be ideal for the body of the future mother. In pharmacies, there is a widespread drug called calcium gluconate. It should be noted that just with its help the body receives a minimum of this mineral. Its maximum amount contains calcium carbonate. In general, all preparations that contain calcium salts can be divided into three groups. This is a single drug, that is, classic calcium for pregnant women in tablets (calcium gluconate). Doctors prescribe it extremely rarely, because without vitamin D it is absorbed very poorly and it is difficult to control the dosage.
The second option is a combination of drugs, which in addition to calcium also includes vitamin D or C, sometimes mineral elements like magnesium, zinc, phosphorus. The third type of drug is multivitamin complexes, which include calcium salts.
Doctor consultation required
First of all, remember that you can not take any drugs during pregnancy yourself. Focus on the state of your body, listen to its signals. If you really wanted to chalk, then you should treat yourself to a piece of cheese, cottage cheese, and also consult a specialist. He will be able to choose the calcium for pregnant women that you need.
It must be remembered that taking more than 500 mg of calcium at a time is not worth it, the body simply can not absorb it. If you are prescribed a dosage higher, then divide it into several doses. In this case, if the tablets contain calcium carbonate, then take them with food. These pills need gastric juice. Do not forget that if you are prescribed iron preparations, then you need to take them at intervals of 2-3 hours with tablets containing calcium. It is highly advisable to get vitamin D. There is another important rule: it is better to consume less calcium than more. The fact is that part of the calcium salts comes from food. Speaking about whether it is possible for pregnant women to take calcium tablets, it is necessary to say about the studies. Moms who received 600 mg of calcium showed an increase in bone mass. But those who received the recommended dose, 1500 mg per day, the condition of the bones worsened for several years. That is, a large amount of calcium interferes with the absorption of other minerals, no less important for bone health.
Calcium carbonate
So, conducting an examination of the patient, the doctor decides to prescribe calcium for pregnant women. Which one to choose - the question is not the easiest, let's sort it out together. Calcium carbonate on the market can be presented in several forms. This is "Calcium D3 Nycomed", "Complies with D3 calcium." That is, these are combined preparations that contain a sufficiently large amount of mineral in a bound, systemic form. Very well replenish the balance of calcium in the body. However, they are prescribed with caution to pregnant women up to the third trimester. In case of impaired renal function, the drugs are contraindicated.
"Calcium D3" for pregnant women
Judging by the name, this is a combined preparation that contains calcium carbonate and vitamin D3. This contributes to good absorption of calcium. One tablet gives the body 500 mg of this essential element. The drug Complivit Calcium D3 has a similar composition, as well as Calcium Asset. These are those food supplements that are most often prescribed to expectant and real mothers. However, if you are already taking a multivitamin complex for pregnant and lactating mothers, then notify your doctor. The composition may contain a significant amount of calcium, and therefore a separate intake will cause an overdose.
Other forms of calcium
Depending on the results of the examination and your own views, the doctor may use calcium citrate to correct the lack of this mineral. It is rather difficult to say unequivocally about what the best calcium for pregnant women can be prescribed today, however, each drug has its own characteristics. In particular, calcium citrate is better and faster absorbed by the body, i.e. a smaller dose will be enough to get a good effect. An example is Calcemin. In addition to calcium citrate itself, it contains vitamin D3, copper and zinc, manganese and boron. In the article, we already mentioned what is the norm of calcium for a pregnant woman, this is about 1500 mg per day. One tablet contains 250 mg.
Finally, everyone knows the calcium gluconate. Assign it more to calm the future mother, when there is no reason to assume a large lack of calcium in the body. It is available in the form of tablets or injections.
To summarize
Despite all the arguments, deciding whether pregnant women can take calcium and how long to drink it is the right of the attending physician. For one woman, this is the entire period of pregnancy and lactation. Others are prescribed calcium supplements only at the end of the first trimester. And the third is strictly forbidden to even look at these pills and lean on dairy products and leafy vegetables due to the fact that calcium can cause uterine contractions. Therefore, be sure to regularly visit a doctor and follow his recommendations.