Folic acid during pregnancy: dosage, indications, instructions for use, reviews

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-17 18:33

For a pregnant woman, it is important to monitor proper nutrition. In her diet, fresh vegetables and fruits, cereals and sour-milk dishes must be present daily. It is important to eat enough proteins, which are found in fish, meat and eggs. Do not forget about parsley and dill. In addition to he althy food, it is necessary to consume vitamin preparations. After all, the growing fetus must be provided with vitamins and microelements coming from the outside world. The appointment of vitamin B9 is often practiced by gynecologists. How to take folic acid during pregnancy? We will deal with this issue further.

Characterization of the chemical

When planning the birth of a child, a woman should start drinking vitamins in advance so that her body prepares for the difficult process of bearing a new life. An element such as folic acid belongs to a variety of vitamins of the B9 group. If a person has no he alth problems, then his body contains this substance in a volume of 5 to 20 mg. Moreover, half of the serving is in such an organ as the liver.

This vitamin does not tend to be pre-accumulated in the female body, so daily replenishment of this useful substance is required. According to gynecologists conducting pregnancy, from 67 to 77% of expectant mothers suffer from its deficiency. Only a specialist determines exactly how much folic acid to drink during pregnancy. As a rule, people tolerate taking this vitamin well, an allergic rash occurs in extremely rare cases.

Causes of vitamin deficiency

The lack of nutrients significantly affects the normal course of pregnancy at each of the terms. There can be several reasons for the deficiency of the folate component:

• A woman consumes few vitamins with food. She does not monitor her diet, does not care about its benefits. Or useful components disappear when food is cooked. As you know, then about 90% of the vitamin evaporates. The source of folic acid is considered to be the raw product. The way out of the situation is to get vitamin B9 from natural sources - green leaves growing in the garden, chicken liver, meat, cheese, caviar, egg yolk, legumes, tomatoes, sunflower seeds.
• The growth of the requirements of the body in the state of gestation. This is especially true when the fetus grows rapidly, its tissues are renewed. When the child is successfully born,it is also important for a woman who is breastfeeding to get enough of this acid so that she can pass it on to her baby through mother's milk.
• A pregnant woman has a violation of the processes of the intestines. It cannot absorb important elements. Then it is necessary to restore the lack of vitamin B9 by taking a chemical drug.

Doctors note the fact that folic acid is absorbed better when a woman takes this substance in the form of tablets.

How vitamin B9 works

In search of an answer to the question of how much folic acid to drink during pregnancy, we will study the mechanism of influence of the components of this substance. The principle of action is based on the studied properties of the genetic material from DNA helices, which are capable of doubling. This process occurs with the support of folic acid, which also helps to synthesize ribonucleic acid, amino acids, improves the absorption of iron by the body. If the vitamin is not enough, the cells cannot reproduce safely at an active pace.

The role of folic acid is hard to overestimate:

• necessary for the successful development of all organs and tissues of the baby;
• helps to fully develop the embryo;
• cares about improving the quality of the blood.

Such assistance should be present from the first days of pregnancy. After all, the formation of future parts of the brain begins from the second week after conception. Even then, the embryo risks getting defects in the development of the nervous system whenthe presence of even a short-term deficiency of nutrients.

Vitamin B9 not only creates fetal cells, but is also able to change the cells of the female body, form all the blood cells.

With a normal amount of this vitamin, a pregnant woman feels a charge of vivacity:

• is in a good mood;
• her metabolic processes occur without deviations;
• provides appetite stimulation as soon as a woman looks at food;
• hydrochloric acid is actively produced in the stomach.

What is the danger of a lack of folic acid

The fetal neural tube runs the risk of defects up to complete disability or threatened miscarriage if such a deficiency is present. In a pregnant woman, the placenta may not form correctly, there is a risk of miscarriage, the birth of a dead child. According to studies, in most cases, you can save yourself from such risks if you start taking vitamin preparations at the stage of pregnancy planning. Do not stop taking the vitamin even when the baby has already been born. Now the mother can pass nutrients to the child through breast milk. The woman herself, thanks to the intake of folic acid, will be able to overcome postpartum depression, apathy, weakness, increase the volume of breast milk.

If such a substance is not enough, the following deviations from the norm are observed:

• anemia;
• not gaining enough weight;
• defensive response of the body decreases;
• disturbed bowel function.

How much vitamin B9 to take

The dosage of folic acid during pregnancy requires adjustment by specialists. The instructions for this drug indicate that for a person in the normal state, the volume of the vitamin is 50 mcg. If there is an increased need, as happens in a pregnant woman, the dose is increased many times over. Russian doctors recommend the opening of the drug in the amount of 400 mg for a person in a normal state. A pregnant woman needs from 600 mg to 1 g of such a substance. Americans set standards twice as high, with great confidence in the beneficial properties of folic components.

Indicators of the norm of folic acid during pregnancy are directly dependent on the woman's tests and the timing of gestation. It is recommended to take one tablet of the drug per day in a volume of 1 g. The dosage of folic acid during pregnancy will be increased if a woman needs treatment - up to 5 mg per day with a course duration of 20 to 30 days. The appointment of this drug in a large dose will also be needed for expectant mothers who have already had the experience of giving birth to children suffering from a lack of vitamin B9. Moreover, it is best to start drinking the drug 3 months before the planned conception.

Is it safe to drink Q9

Folic acid intake during pregnancy at the dosage prescribed by your gynecologist will not harm the expectant mother and her baby. This drug is not toxic even with prolonged use, whichconfirmed by a number of studies. But excessive consumption of this substance can reduce the amount of vitamin B12. Such processes are dangerous because they can lead to the development of anemia. Also, due to an increase in dosage, problems with the gastrointestinal tract may appear, nervous excitability will increase, and unwanted processes in the kidneys will occur.

It will only be necessary to cancel the drug if the woman has an allergy. If these problems are not present, it is important to take care of the regular intake of vitamin B9. If you forget to take your pill at the scheduled time, try to take it the next day.

Features of simultaneous administration with certain drugs

Instruction for folic acid during pregnancy includes information on the features of taking this vitamin at the same time as other medicines. Taking folic acid in combination with vitamins B12 and C, as well as taking bifidobacteria, allows you to increase the synthesis of nutrients in the large intestine.

It is harmful to combine the intake of vitamin B9 with alcoholic beverages and antacyls. Then folic acid will be much worse absorbed by the intestines. Also, the instructions for folic acid during pregnancy indicate that this substance should not be combined with such drugs:

• high dose aspirin;
• preparations of the nitrofuran series;
• drugs to treat urinary tract infections;
• oral contraceptives;
• hormonal drugs.

The listed drugs help reduce the concentration of vitamin B9 in blood cells.

Experience of European countries

Reviews of folic acid during pregnancy indicate its harmlessness. This will be confirmed by the fact that in America, flour manufacturers are required to add folic acid to the composition of this product in large dosages. The Americans believe that this will be the prevention of a deficiency of such a substance.

Studying the opinion of Russian women

Folic acid tablets during pregnancy, according to consumer reviews, are generally positive, with the exception of a few cases of allergies. This drug has an important effect on the process of the full formation of the fetus. A woman who takes folic acid during early pregnancy and continues to do so until the end of lactation provides both herself and her baby with useful substances.

Drug cost

We looked at how to take folic acid during pregnancy, now let's talk about the price of these vitamins. It should be noted that the cost of vitamin B9 is available to a wide range of buyers. You can purchase a domestic drug or imported analogues. If a woman wants to purchase a multivitamin, the amount of folic acid in them should be in the range of up to 1 mg.

Contraindications for use

The norm of folic acid during pregnancy is set by a gynecologist. There are situations when this substance is not recommended to be taken. It happens byavailability reason:

• bronchial asthma;
• kidney disease;
• anemia due to lack of vitamin B12.

Therefore, you should not take this drug without consulting your doctor.

Summarize

Now we know what folic acid is for during pregnancy. Every expectant mother dreams of giving birth to the he althiest and most beautiful baby. And this desire will certainly come true if only a woman tries to create optimal conditions for her unborn child.

The dosage of folic acid during pregnancy is determined depending on the he alth of the pregnant woman. It is important that the doctor who leads the pregnancy deals with this issue. It is with him that you need to discuss the possibility of using drugs, the presence of problems and discomfort.

The expectant mother should eat well, eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, and fresh, not thermally processed. After all, heat treatment kills vitamins. In addition, the expectant mother should lead a he althy lifestyle, completely refuse to take alcohol, which complicates the process of receiving useful components.

For the neural tube of the fetus from the first days of the birth of a new life, it is important to fully receive nutrition from the mother in the form of oxygen and nutrients. Follow the recommendations of the doctors and you will have a he althy baby.