Calcium for pregnant women in tablets: which one to choose and how to take?

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pregnancy is a wonderful moment for every woman. However, in addition to excitement and joyful experiences, you should think about the he alth of the future crumbs. And in order for him to be born he althy, it is necessary that the mother's body receives a complete set of necessary substances. And one of the most important elements is calcium for pregnant women in tablets. Which one to choose is not an easy question, and that is why today we want to discuss it in more detail.

Calcium requirement

In fact, our body really needs it every day. But when you're pregnant, the picture changes drastically. 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 a child in a matter of months, thenthere is a skeleton. Therefore, in no case can you count on the fact that you have enough trace elements that you get from ordinary products. It is very important to take calcium for pregnant women in tablets. 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 tell about the need of the expectant mother and options for satisfying it.

In fact, the need is also determined by the age of the woman. If a 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 is about 1000 mg per day. It is to block it, and calcium for pregnant women will be prescribed in tablets. Which one to choose - will be prompted by doctors who observe a serious deficiency of this most important mineral. This is primarily dangerous for the mother, because, covering only the needs of a growing body, you leave your own musculoskeletal system without support. This threatens the early development of osteoporosis.

What can I do to prevent calcium deficiency?

In fact, this is not the most deficient mineral, that is, it can be obtained in sufficient quantities from the most common foods. Before talking about calcium for pregnant women in tablets (which one to choose), let's define its natural sources. We note one more point: after the birth of a child, during breastfeeding, you need calcium no less than during pregnancy, becausehow the baby is still provided with everything necessary at the expense of the mother's body.

Natural sources of calcium

To get the amount you need, you can eat 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 sardine will give you 324 g of calcium. No less useful to eat cheese. And it can be almost anything, mozzarella or cheddar. Just 30g of this tasty product will give you 250g of calcium. If you are worried about your weight, then pay attention to the cabbage. By eating 50 g of this he althy vegetable, you get 150 g of calcium. Keep in mind that your body cannot absorb more than 500 mg of calcium at a time.

Abundance of drugs on the market

Indeed, even just for the sake of interest, looking around the shelves in a 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 a future mother. Pharmacies have a widely used drug called calcium gluconate. It should be noted that it is with its help that the body receives a minimum of this mineral. Its maximum amount contains calcium carbonate. In general, all preparations that contain calcium s alts can be divided intothree groups. These are monopreparations, 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 combined products, which, in addition to calcium, also contain vitamin D or C, sometimes mineral elements such as magnesium, zinc, phosphorus. The third type of preparations are multivitamin complexes, which include calcium s alts.

Doctor consultation needed

First of all, remember that you cannot take any medications on your own during pregnancy. Focus on the state of your body, listen to its signals. If you really wanted chalk, then you should treat yourself to a piece of cheese, cottage cheese, and also consult a specialist. He will be able to select the prenatal calcium that is right for you.

It must be remembered that taking more than 500 mg of calcium at a time is not worth it, the body simply cannot absorb it. If you are prescribed a higher dosage, then break it into several doses. Moreover, if the tablets contain calcium carbonate, then take them with meals. These pills need gastric juice. Do not forget that if you are prescribed iron supplements, then you need to take them at intervals of 2-3 hours with tablets containing calcium. It is highly desirable to get vitamin D. There is another important rule: it is better to consume calcium less than more. The fact is that part of the calcium s alts comes from food. Talking aboutis it possible for pregnant women to take calcium in tablets, it is necessary to say about the studies carried out. Moms who received 600 mg of calcium showed an increase in bone mass. But those who received the recommended dose of 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 that are equally important for bone he alth.

Calcium carbonate

So, while examining the patient, the doctor decides to prescribe calcium for pregnant women. Which one to choose is not the easiest question, let's figure it out together. Calcium carbonate on the market can be presented in several forms. These are Calcium D3 Nycomed, Complivit Calcium D3. That is, these are combined preparations that contain a sufficiently large amount of the 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 kidney function, drugs are contraindicated.

"Calcium D3" for pregnant women

Already judging by the name, this is a combined preparation that contains calcium carbonate and vitamin D3. This promotes good absorption of calcium. One tablet provides the body with 500 mg of this essential element. The drug "Complivit Calcium D3", as well as "Calcium Active" has a similar composition. These are exactly the food supplements that are most often prescribed to future and current mothers. However, if you are already taking a multivitamin complex for pregnant and lactating mothers, thennotify the doctor. The composition may contain a significant amount of calcium, and therefore taking it alone will cause an overdose.

Other forms of calcium

Depending on the results of the examination and their own views, the doctor may use calcium citrate to correct the lack of this mineral. It is quite difficult to unambiguously say which is the best calcium for pregnant women today, but each drug has its own characteristics. In particular, calcium citrate is better and faster absorbed by the body, that is, a smaller dose will be enough to get a good effect. An example is the drug "Calcemin". In addition to calcium citrate itself, it contains vitamin D3, copper and zinc, manganese and boron. In the article, we have 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, the familiar calcium gluconate. It is prescribed more to calm the expectant 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.

Summarize

Despite all the arguments, it is up to the attending physician to decide whether pregnant women can take calcium and how long to drink it. 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. That's whybe sure to visit your doctor regularly and follow his recommendations.