Folic acid when planning pregnancy: dosage, reviews

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

Folic acid, also known as folate, folacin, and vitamin B9, is considered one of the most important elements for humans. In recent decades, doctors have discovered its enormous benefits for pregnant women. It is recommended to use folic acid not only during the bearing of the baby, but also a few months before conception. Scientific studies have proven that taking this vitamin increases the chances of having a he althy 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 pregnancy registration. Such negligence towards one's own he alth 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 possiblediseases in a baby by 70%.

The name of folic acid was taken from the Latin folium (meaning "leaf"). This trace element is found in almost all edible leaves, green vegetables, legumes, and some fruits. For the first time, vitamin B9 and its benefits were learned back in 1931. Then doctors discovered its beneficial effects on pregnant women with anemia. By preventing anemia, folic acid, when planning pregnancy and during it, already then helped to bear the child and prevented the risk of miscarriage.

Due to participation in cellular 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 the birth of a child.

What are the benefits of folic acid

Vitamin B9 has a positive effect on the entire 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 does taking these pills do:

• Stability of the functioning of the circulatory system.
• Participation in cell metabolism.
• Improve metabolism, more efficient absorption of vitamins, lower blood cholesterol levels, and regulate fat in the liver.
• Exchange of nucleic acid in the body, amino acids and serotonin levels.
• Normalization of appetite.
• Improve the gastrointestinal tract.
• Folic acid when planning a pregnancy, the dosage of which is prescribed by a doctor, reduces the risk of atherosclerosis.
• Cleansing the body of toxic substances and toxins.
• Coordination of protein metabolism.
• Reducing 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 stage of planning a child, it is necessary to consult a doctor to prescribe the dosage of the drug. Usually vitamin B9 is advised to take an average of three or four months before conception. As for the dosage, all the doctors of the world are unanimous in the recommended intake of at least 0.4 mg of folic acid per day. Folic acid when planning pregnancy is shown to 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 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. Folic acid when planning pregnancy is required exactly in the quantities recommended by the specialist. Also, an increased dose of tablets should be taken by those who use antiepileptic drugs and anticancer drugs during the treatment period.

A he althy couple usually gets pregnant within a few months. Since it is not always possible to accurately predict conception, folic acid intake should not be interrupted. After pregnancy, vitamin B9 should be taken for another 3 months.

Folic Acid Deficiency Symptoms

The human body is designed in such a way that when there is a lack of nutrients, it begins to give signals that help to catch on in time and replenish the balance of vitamins. When folic acid becomes insufficient when planning a pregnancy, this can be seen by the following symptoms:

• increased irritability, groundless aggression;
• depressive states for no apparent reason;
• loss of appetite;
• fatigue and drowsiness;
• nausea and vomiting;
• changing chair;
• hair loss;
• inflammation in the body;
• mouth ulcers that take a long time to heal;
• signs of anorexia.

If at least three signs are found, you need to go to the doctor and do the necessary tests to make up for the deficiency.

Fetal pathology due to lack of folic acid

If you do not take vitamin B9 during and after pregnancy, the growth of the embryo may be impaired, and the child will receive incurable congenital diseases. The mother's womb is not only a container for the fetus, but also what gives itvitamins 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 little folic acid when planning a pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.
• Increased chance of placental insufficiency.
• Pathology of the neural tube. This is the most common result of neglecting vitamin B9 intake.
• Mental and physical malformations in a child.
• Gene anomalies.
• Vertebral hernias.

It is easy to prevent such serious consequences for a child, it is enough just to start taking vitamin B9 at the dosage recommended by the doctor. Any physician knows how to take folic acid when planning a pregnancy. The expectant mother may also experience a lack of these vitamins, this is possible if the daily dose of the drug does not meet the needs of the body. The woman then experiences characteristic symptoms:

• leg pain;
• severe weakness and fatigue;
• anemia;
• long toxicosis.

Planning pregnancy and its subsequent course should be continuously associated with the use of folic acid. Its beneficial value for the body of the baby and mother has been proven by all doctors of the world, therefore, when planning a child, you should not underestimate its capabilities.

Fetal neural tube pathology

In the third week of pregnancy, the neural tube is formed in the fetus, whichis the basis of the brain and spinal cord. Any of its pathological processes can contribute to the low viability of the embryo, as well as affect the he alth of the baby in the future. Knowing how much folic acid the body needs when planning pregnancy, complications can be avoided.

Pathology of the neural tube of the fetus can be caused by a lack of vitamin B9 in the body before and after pregnancy. Many women do not think about what this violation means and what diseases it can lead to. While many birth defects appear in children precisely because of him.

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 the partial or complete absence of the brain, which leads to the death of the fetus while still in the womb.
• Cephalocele. Splitting of the skull and swelling of the brain. Incompatible with life, rarely treatable if brain swelling is mild.
• Hydrocephalus. The pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid on the functional areas of the brain. If detected in time, this disease can be cured.

Folic acid when planning pregnancy - how much the doctor prescribes is the key to easy bearing and the birth of a he althy 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 complete examination of everythingorganism. If the results of the analyzes reveal any deviations, it will be necessary to begin to eliminate them. The future father of the child should also be examined in the hospital. Usually preparation for the conception of a child takes from 3 to 6 months. During this time, the couple manages to correct their he alth, 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 a pregnancy, these pills, the gynecologist will tell you.

How to take vitamin B9

When thinking about buying folic acid, it can be easy to 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 lead to a stupor. Before you drink folic acid when planning a pregnancy, you should carefully study the list of contraindications to pills.

It is better to give preference to the simplest packaging of folic acid in a blister. Various additives are most often used only to attract attention and more excitement 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 of these tablets so that the daily dosage is at least 0.4 mg. For those who have had a history of having a child with a neural tube disorder, the dose taken should be increased from 1 to 4 mg, as directed by the physician. An increased dose should also be taken by those who have had a miscarriage due to this pathology. Folic acid for men when planning pregnancy is not required. 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 maintaining the he alth of the expectant mother. You don't need to take prenatal vitamins before conception. Otherwise, you can provoke hypervitaminosis, which will not have the best effect on pregnancy.

Before taking any drugs, you must carefully study the composition and consult with your doctor. After the onset of the 12th week of pregnancy, you need to switch to a multivitamin complex of a special design. But it is not necessary to stop taking vitamin B9 because of this. 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 the woman is at risk, the doctor will prescribe additional folic acid tablets.

Folic acid reviews

Women who are serious about having a baby start taking vitamin B9 a few months before conception. Folic acid when planningpregnancy, reviews of which can be read on any forum for expectant mothers, helps to bear a he althy baby. Mothers who have already given birth note that pregnancy while taking vitamin B9 proceeded easily and without complications. Many people advise starting folic acid at least 3 months before conception.

Long-term folic acid reviews

There are also women who have taken 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, continuously continued to take the pills. Some continued to try for up to six months. Judging by the numerous reviews, a long-term intake of folic acid for 6 months did not have a negative impact on the long-awaited pregnancy, and even more so on the he alth of the baby. Nevertheless, women are advised to use this vitamin only after a detailed consultation with a doctor. Only a specialist will be able to choose good quality pills, and also prescribe a dosage that is purely individual for each woman.