One of the most important, cheapest and most effective advances that Medicine has achieved has been the administration of folic acid supplements to pregnant women to significantly reduce neural tube malformations, that is, those problems that may arise in the brain or spinal cord. This B group vitamin also helps in cell growth and DNA production, so it is advisable to take it every day, especially before conception and during the first stage of pregnancy. But perhaps the pending issue, and in which many women are lost, is knowing how and when to take these supplements. We explain it to you.
How to take it
It is recommended that all women capable of becoming pregnant take a vitamin supplement of 400 micrograms of folic acid, always as part of a healthy diet . The WHO recommends consuming 600 to 800 micrograms daily.
Folic acid can be consumed in two ways: in food or through supplements . Sometimes food will not provide you with the amount you need. In these cases, supplementation will be necessary, yes, always controlled by a specialist.
Prenatal vitamins should not replace a well-balanced diet.But taking them can give your body, and your baby, aVitamin and mineral booster.In this sense, it has always been considered that the majority Spanish diet is the Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables and, therefore, rich in substances called folates, from the same family as folic acid.
Although the exact way in which folic acid prevents neural tube defects is not known, most studies suggest that it may be due to the fact that it corrects nutritional deficiencies .
When to start
If all women of childbearing age consumed 0.4 milligrams of folic acid at least 3 months before becoming pregnant and during the first trimester of pregnancy, could reduce the probability of their child being born with this disease by up to 70%.
Therefore, it is recommended at least during the first trimester . Some pregnant women are advised to continue taking additional folic acid throughout their pregnancy as it must produce the additional blood cells that their body needs during this period.
Risks of not taking it
Not taking folic acid during pregnancy means that you could expose yourself to a higher risk of suffering from any of the health problems that vitamin B9 helps prevent.
In addition, taking the necessary amount of vitamin B9 during pregnancy helps prevent apremature labor or miscarriage.
