Folic Acid during Pregnancy – How Much is Enough?

During pregnancy, the body goes through a lot of physical, emotional, hormonal and psychological changes. In order to cope up with the changes, every pregnant woman should take great care of her health. If you are also pregnant, you have come to the right place. Here, you are going to know something really important. Do you know that during pregnancy, folic acid becomes one of the major nutrients that are required both by the mother and her unborn baby? The quantity that is required during pregnancy cannot be consumed by the mother by eating regular meals. For this, she need to intake folic acid in the form of tablets, capsules and supplements. Here, you should be very cautious. You can’t of course start consuming folic acid blindly.

Every pregnant woman requires folic acid in different quantities. Depending upon the body conditions and the health of growing baby, gynecologists suggest their patients the exact quantity of folic acids, which they could take in the form of capsules. There is, of course, no harm in consuming folic acid supplements, as they only going to help in keeping the mother and her unborn baby, healthy and safe. It is always better, healthy and safe for you, during pregnancy, if you ask your gynecologist about the quantity of folic acid, which would be sufficient for you and your baby’s health. You should first consider the importance and value of the intake of folic acid, during pregnancy. If you do not have the idea about its importance, you would show irresponsible behavior in terms of consuming it regularly, throughout the period of pregnancy. Reports and studies have shown that every year, there are almost 3,000 infants, who are born with the birth defect of neural tube. There are different types of defects that attack neural tube of infants and they include spina bifidia and anencephaly. In both these conditions, either the brain does not grow properly or one of its parts does not even exist.

If an infant survives with this defect, he/she may be paralyzed for the rest of his/her life. Now, you should know the cause of this defect. It is caused because of the deficiency of folic acids, in the body of pregnant women. When the body has sufficient folic acid, the brain and spinal cord both grow properly. Folic acid helps in the proper closure of neural tube. If you will take folic acid regularly, the chances of giving birth to a baby with such defects are going to be very low.

Once you have understood this, you are in need of knowing the right time from when you should start taking folic acid. Every childbearing woman should start the intake of this acid. In this way, she could prepare her body for healthy and safe pregnancy, which is not only going to be safe for her baby, but also for her own health. Pregnancy is a very sensitive time in a woman’s life and she should do everything in her realm to make sure that she takes care of herself in the best possible manner.

Iron is another essential nutrient for pregnant women. Because of the body's drastically increased blood volume during pregnancy, plus the developing baby's own iron needs, iron deficiency during pregnancy is common. Ask your doctor about a high potency iron supplement. If you develop digestive problems, ask about switching to a carbonyl iron which is more easily tolerated.