Folic acid, it is also folate, folacin, as well as vitamin B9, is considered one of the most important elements for humans. In recent decades, doctors have discovered its enormous benefits for pregnant women. The use of folic acid is recommended not only during the gestation of the baby, but also a few months before conception. Scientific studies have shown that taking this vitamin increases the chances of having a healthy baby. However, before you start taking the drug, you need to find out everything about its required dosage and effect on the body.
What is Vitamin B9
Many women hear about it for the first time only during registration during pregnancy. Such negligence to one's own health and the formation of a child can play a cruel joke. Scientists and doctors report that taking it before and after pregnancy can reduce the risk of possible illness in the baby by 70%.
The name folic acid was taken from the Latin folium (which means "leaf"). This trace element is found in almost all edible leaves, green vegetables, legumes, and also some fruits. For the first time, vitamin B9 and its benefits were learned back in 1931. Then doctors discovered its beneficial effect on pregnant women with anemia. Preventing anemia, folic acid during pregnancy planning and during it already helped to bear the baby and prevented the risk of miscarriage.
Due to its participation in cell metabolism, vitamin B9 prevents the development of neural tube defects in the fetus, as well as many other birth defects that cannot be treated after birth.
What are the benefits of folic acid
Vitamin B9 has a positive effect on the whole body, has antioxidant properties, and is also a source of energy for humans. Its benefits do not end there, among all the advantages of this vitamin, at least ten vital ones can be distinguished.
What gives the reception of these pills:
- Stability of the circulatory system.
- Participation in cell metabolism.
- Improving metabolism, more productive absorption of vitamins, lowering blood cholesterol, as well as regulating liver fats.
- The exchange of nucleic acids in the body, amino acids and serotonin levels.
- Normalization of appetite.
- Improving the digestive tract.
- Folic acid when planning a pregnancy, the dosage of which is prescribed by a doctor, reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis.
- Cleansing the body of toxic substances and waste.
- Coordination of protein metabolism.
- Decreased anxiety, depression.
Pregnancy Planning and Vitamin B9
Taking folic acid a few months before pregnancy can prevent many possible diseases in the fetus. Therefore, at the planning stage of the child, it is necessary to consult a doctor to prescribe the dosage of the drug. Usually, vitamin B9 is advised to be taken on average three or four months before conception. As for the dosage, then all the doctors in the world are unanimous in the recommended intake of at least 0.4 mg of folic acid per day. When planning pregnancy, folic acid is indicated for absolutely all women who, according to medical indications, are ready to bear a baby.
If a woman has already given birth to a child with neural tube defects or she has had a miscarriage due to this disorder, the dose of vitamin B9 should be increased to 1-4 mg. Take during the day after meals. However, this dosage must be agreed with the attending physician in order to assess the possible risks. When planning pregnancy, folic acid is required in exactly the amounts recommended by a specialist. Also, an increased dose of tablets should be taken for those who use antiepileptic drugs and anticancer drugs during the treatment period.
Pregnancy in a healthy couple usually occurs within a few months. Since it is not always possible to accurately predict conception, folic acid intake should not be interrupted. After pregnancy has occurred, vitamin B9 should be taken for another 3 months.
Symptoms of folic acid deficiency
The human body is designed in such a way that when there is a lack of useful substances, it begins to give signals that help you catch up on time and fill up the balance of vitamins. When folic acid becomes insufficient when planning a pregnancy, this can be seen by the following symptoms:
- increased irritability, baseless aggression;
- depressive conditions for no apparent reason;
- loss of appetite;
- fatigue and drowsiness;
- nausea and vomiting;
- change of stool;
- hair loss;
- inflammation in the body;
- mouth ulcers that do not heal for a long time;
- signs of anorexia.
If at least three signs are found, you need to go to the doctor and do the necessary tests to fill the deficit.
Pathology of the fetus with a lack of folic acid
If vitamin B9 is not taken during and after pregnancy, embryo growth may be impaired and the child will receive incurable congenital diseases. The maternal womb is not only a container for the fetus, but also what gives it the vitamins necessary for development. Therefore, it is very important to saturate the body with all the useful substances that will benefit the baby. An imbalance of vitamin B9 in a woman can lead to serious consequences.
- Too small a dosage of folic acid when planning a pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.
- The likelihood of placental insufficiency increases.
- Pathology of the neural tube. This is the most common result of neglect of vitamin B9.
- Mental and physical malformations in a child.
- Gene abnormalities.
- Vertebral hernia.
It is easy to prevent such serious consequences for the child, it is enough just to start taking vitamin B9 in time at the dosage recommended by the doctor. Any doctor knows how to take folic acid when planning a pregnancy. The expectant mother may also lack these vitamins, this is possible if the daily dose of the drug does not meet the needs of the body. Then the woman experiences characteristic symptoms:
- leg pain
- severe weakness and fatigue;
- anemia;
- long toxicosis.
Pregnancy planning and its subsequent course should be continuously associated with the use of folic acid. Its favorable value for the body of the baby and mother has been proven by all the doctors of the world, therefore, when planning a child, do not underestimate its capabilities.
Pathology of the fetal neural tube
In the third week of pregnancy, a neural tube forms in the fetus, which is the basis of the brain and spinal cord. Any of its pathological process can contribute to the low viability of the embryo, as well as affect the health of the baby in the future. Knowing how much folic acid is required by the body when planning a pregnancy, complications can be avoided.
Pathology of the fetal neural tube may be caused by a lack of vitamin B9 in the body before pregnancy and after its onset. Many women do not think about what this violation means and what diseases it can lead to. While many congenital malformations appear in children precisely because of it.
What diseases does neural tube pathology entail
- Anencephaly. One of the diseases that occurs due to a violation of the neural tube of the embryo. This is a partial or complete absence of the brain, which leads to the death of the embryo in the womb.
- Cephalocele. Cleavage of the skull and swelling of the brain. Incompatible with life, in rare cases treatable if brain swelling is insignificant.
- Hydrocephalus. Cerebrospinal fluid pressure on the functional areas of the brain. If this disease is detected in time, it can be cured.
Folic acid when planning a pregnancy - as the doctor prescribes - this is the key to easy bearing and giving birth to a healthy baby.
When to start taking
With a conscious decision to become a mother, a woman should immediately start taking vitamin B9. Then you need to go to the clinic and undergo a full examination of the whole organism. If, according to the results of the analyzes, any deviations are revealed, it will be necessary to proceed with their elimination. The future father of the child should also be examined in the hospital. Usually, preparation for the conception of a child takes 3 to 6 months. During this time, the couple manages to adjust their health, make sure they are ready to have a baby, and the woman prepares herself for pregnancy by taking folic acid daily. How much to drink when planning pregnancy for these pills, the gynecologist will tell.
How to take Vitamin B9
Thinking about buying folic acid, you can easily get confused, given how many variations of this drug are sold in pharmacies. All kinds of dietary supplements, vitamin supplements, syrups and capsules with different dosages can enter into a stupor. Before drinking folic acid when planning pregnancy, you should carefully study the list of contraindications to tablets.
It is better to give preference to the simplest package of folic acid in a blister. Various additives are most often used only to attract attention and more hype in the pharmacy market. Such tablets contain a minimum amount of folic acid in a volume of 0.1 mg. When planning a pregnancy, a woman will need to take four such tablets so that the daily dosage is at least 0.4 mg. Those who have experience in having a baby with a neural tube disorder should increase the dose they take from 1 to 4 mg, according to the doctor’s testimony. An increased dose should be taken by those who have suffered a miscarriage due to this pathology. Folic acid for men is not required when planning a pregnancy . In this case, it will not have any effect on the development of the fetus.
Vitamin B9 and multivitamin complexes
Folic acid for women when planning pregnancy is extremely important. But it is very important not to overdo it with taking a variety of pills and dietary supplements. When carrying a baby, many women are prescribed multivitamin complexes that are designed for the normal formation of the fetus and maintain the health of the expectant mother. No need to drink pregnant vitamins before conception. Otherwise, you can provoke hypervitaminosis, which will not affect pregnancy in the best way.
Before taking any drugs, it is necessary to carefully study the composition and consult a doctor. After the onset of 12 weeks of pregnancy, you need to switch to a multivitamin complex of a special development. But stopping because of this, taking vitamin B9 is not necessary. It is only necessary to study the composition of this complex and determine how much folic acid it contains. If possible, for the first trimester of pregnancy, you need to choose a vitamin complex with a folic acid content of at least 0.8 mg. This dose is enough to prevent various pathologies. If a woman is at risk, the doctor prescribes an additional intake of folic acid in tablets.
Folic Acid Reviews
Women who are serious about having a baby start taking vitamin B9 a few months before conception. When planning pregnancy, folic acid, reviews of which can be read on any forum for expectant mothers, helps to endure a healthy baby. Mothers who have already given birth note that pregnancy with vitamin B9 was easy and without complications. Many are advised to start taking folic acid at least 3 months before conception.
Reviews on long-term folic acid intake
There are women who have been taking this vitamin for more than three months. Couples who could not conceive a baby for a long time did not despair, and the woman, in turn, continued to take pills continuously. Some continued the attempts until six months. Judging by numerous reviews, a long intake of folic acid for 6 months did not have a negative impact on a long-awaited pregnancy, and especially on the baby’s health. Nevertheless, women are advised to use this vitamin only after a detailed consultation with a doctor. Only a specialist will be able to pick up pills of good quality, and also prescribe a dosage that is purely individual for each woman.