When is the best time to take folic acid before pregnancy? How to take folic acid before pregnancy

Taking folic acid before pregnancy is common knowledge for almost every pregnant mother. Although everyone understands the importance of taking folic acid, they don’t know the correct way to take folic acid and the precautions. Today, let’s share with expectant mothers how to take folic acid correctly.

How to take folic acid

1. Is it necessary to supplement folic acid? What is its role?

Supplementing folic acid is a way to prevent birth defects in babies. Women who are preparing to get pregnant and expectant mothers especially need to take a certain amount of folic acid. The effects of folic acid are mainly reflected in the following aspects:

Taking the recommended dose of folic acid every day can reduce the risk of neural tube defects in your baby by 50% to 70%.

2. Reduce the risk of preeclampsia in expectant mothers. Studies have shown that taking multivitamins containing folic acid may reduce the risk of preeclampsia in expectant mothers. Preeclampsia is a complication unique to pregnancy. Preeclampsia is a hypertensive disease unique to pregnancy, which affects 5% to 8% of expectant mothers.

3. Reduce the risk of gestational hyperlipidemia. The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends taking the medicine from 2 to 3 months before pregnancy and continuing until the third month of pregnancy or throughout the pregnancy. In addition to preventing neural tube defects, it is also beneficial to reduce the risk of gestational hyperlipidemia.

2. Should I take more folic acid after an unexpected pregnancy?

Since fetal neural tube differentiation mostly occurs 2 to 4 weeks after pregnancy, folic acid supplementation in early pregnancy is most important. Folic acid supplementation is necessary in the first 3 months of pregnancy. If you become pregnant unexpectedly, you should start taking folic acid tablets immediately, but there is no need to increase the dosage.

3. If I don’t know the exact time of pregnancy, what should I do if I take too much or too little folic acid?

It is recommended to take folic acid tablets and eat foods rich in folic acid (animal liver, dark green vegetables and beans) three months before preparing for pregnancy. If you don’t know the exact date of your pregnancy, you can start taking folic acid tablets when you plan to get pregnant, regularly and quantitatively, and effectively prevent the occurrence of folic acid, so that the body can store a good folic acid environment.

4. Which foods contain folic acid?

There are many foods that contain folic acid, but because folic acid is unstable when exposed to light and heat and easily loses its activity, the human body can only obtain a small amount of folic acid from food. For example, vegetables lose 50% to 70% of their folic acid after being stored for 2 to 3 days; cooking methods such as soups can cause a loss of 50% to 95% of the folic acid in food; vegetables soaked in salt water also lose a lot of folic acid.

Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin. It is found in high levels in liver, eggs, green leafy vegetables, and fruits. Therefore, expectant mothers should change some cooking habits to minimize the loss of folic acid.

Vegetables rich in folic acid, such as: lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, carrots, greens, asparagus, cauliflower, rapeseed, Chinese cabbage, lentils, bean pods, mushrooms, etc.

Fruits rich in folic acid, such as: bayberry, crabapple, jujube, hawthorn, pomegranate, grape, kiwi, strawberry, pear, walnut, etc.

5. If you can maintain a balanced diet, is it necessary to supplement folic acid by taking folic acid tablets?

The book "Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents" published by the Chinese Nutrition Society in January 2008 provides the following dietary guidelines for specific groups of people (pregnant women and expectant women): consume more foods rich in folic acid or take folic acid supplements.

If a pregnant woman is not deficient in folic acid through a pre-pregnancy physical examination, she can completely get folic acid through her diet and does not necessarily have to take "medical supplements". However, some areas with folic acid deficiency, such as remote mountainous areas and places with inconvenient transportation, are prone to folic acid deficiency and must take "medical supplements" to increase the folic acid content in the body.

6. Do mom and dad need to take supplements together?

Pregnant mothers are sometimes careless in the early stages of pregnancy and are not sure if they are pregnant, which may miss the best time to supplement folic acid. Some experts suggest that women who may be pregnant or plan to have a baby should take folic acid every day to prevent themselves from being caught off guard when the baby arrives. For men who plan to be fathers, insufficient folic acid will reduce the concentration of semen and may also cause abnormal chromosome separation in sperm, which will bring a great possibility of serious diseases to the future baby. Don't forget to take folic acid if you are planning to be a father or a mother!

7. Is it harmful to take too much folic acid tablets?

Taking folic acid in large doses for a long time will interfere with the metabolism of zinc in the human body and lead to zinc deficiency. Zinc deficiency in expectant mothers not only affects their own health, but also causes decreased immunity, aggravated pregnancy reactions, loss of appetite, and affects the growth and development of the baby. However, expectant mothers do not need to be afraid. Regular folic acid supplementation while maintaining a normal diet will not have adverse reactions.

Pregnant mothers need to be reminded that there are two main types of folic acid tablets on the market. One is specifically provided to pregnant women and unpregnant mothers, and the other is mainly used to treat megaloblastic anemia caused by folic acid deficiency. The folic acid content of these two folic acid tablets is very different, the former is 0.4 mg, and the latter is 5 mg, a difference of 12.5 times. Be careful when taking them.

When should folic acid be taken?

1. You need to supplement before and during pregnancy. Which period is the most critical?

During the fetal period, brain development occurs earliest and most rapidly; early pregnancy (3 to 6 weeks) is the critical period for the growth and development of the fetal central nervous system.

The embryo forms primitive brain vesicles at the fourth week of pregnancy. Although the fetus is only about 3 cm long and weighs only 2 grams at the eighth week, its brain cells proliferate rapidly and are most susceptible to teratogenic factors. If folic acid is supplemented at this critical time, the risk of neural tube disease in the fetus can be reduced by 50% to 70%.

2. Does my husband also need folic acid supplements?

Pregnant mothers are sometimes careless in the early stages of pregnancy and are not sure if they are pregnant, and may miss the best time to supplement folic acid.

Women who may be pregnant or planning to have a baby should take folic acid supplements every day to prevent themselves from being caught off guard when the baby arrives. For men who are planning to be fathers, insufficient folic acid will reduce the concentration of semen and may also cause abnormal chromosome separation in sperm, which will bring a great possibility of serious diseases to the future baby. Don't forget to take folic acid supplements if you are planning to have a baby!

3. It is not good to take too much or too little folic acid. So how much should we take?

The total amount of folic acid in the human body is about 5 to 6 mg, but the human body cannot synthesize folic acid by itself and can only be absorbed from food.

The baby continues to grow and develop in the mother's body, and the mother's folic acid is transferred to him through the placenta. As the placental tissue and uterus continue to grow, the demand for folic acid becomes greater and greater. If it is not supplemented consciously, the folic acid level will decrease.

Pregnant mothers need to supplement 600 to 800 micrograms of folic acid every day to meet the baby's growth needs and their own needs.

4. There are many things to pay attention to when taking folic acid supplements. If you are not careful, you may lose folic acid.

There are many foods that contain folic acid, but because folic acid is unstable when exposed to light and heat and easily loses its activity, the human body can only obtain a small amount of folic acid from food. For example, vegetables lose 50% to 70% of their folic acid after being stored for 2 to 3 days; cooking methods such as soups can cause a loss of 50% to 95% of the folic acid in food; vegetables soaked in salt water also lose a lot of folic acid.

Therefore, pregnant mothers should change some cooking habits to reduce the loss of folic acid as much as possible, and increase the intake of foods rich in folic acid. If necessary, they can supplement with folic acid preparations, folic acid tablets, and multivitamin tablets.

Precautions for taking folic acid

Start taking folic acid supplements in the first three months of pregnancy

Zhao Jianyue said that in the first three months of pregnancy, the neural tube of the human body begins to develop and nerve cells begin to divide. If folic acid is deficient at this time, the neural tube will not develop completely and deformed babies are likely to appear. If folic acid is supplemented at this critical time, the risk of neural tube defects in the fetus can be reduced by 50% to 70%.

Therefore, women should start taking folic acid supplements in the first three months of pregnancy preparation; in the early stages of pregnancy, take folic acid for another three months; in the late stages of pregnancy, folic acid can be taken appropriately under the guidance of a doctor depending on the situation.

Take one tablet daily

There are two types of folic acid formulations on the market, one is a 5 mg formulation per tablet, and the other is a small formulation of 0.4 mg per tablet. Pregnant women should take the small formulation, one tablet a day is enough. Zhao Jianyue reminded that excessive intake of folic acid not only fails to prevent fetal malformations, but may also mask the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, interfere with zinc metabolism, and cause zinc deficiency or nerve damage in pregnant women. If you do not conceive as expected after taking folic acid for three months, you should continue to supplement folic acid until three months after pregnancy.

Folic acid should not be taken together with vitamin C

Folic acid is easily destroyed in an acidic environment, but relatively stable in an alkaline and neutral environment; while vitamin C, vitamin B2, and vitamin B6 are relatively stable in an acidic environment. If you take vitamin C, vitamin B2, and vitamin B6 while supplementing folic acid, the absorption rate will be affected because the stable environments of the two conflict with each other. In view of this, it is best to take them at least half an hour apart.