For an expectant mother, the gender of the child to be born is much less important than his/her good health. The woman has to be ever vigilant about the nutritional supplements she takes in order to ensure that the child has an excellent all-round development.
Folic acid is a form of Vitamin B. Men, women and children, in general, need folic acid because it is an important nutrient that helps in
- Correct formation of hemoglobin
- Reducing risk of stroke and heart attack
- Reducing the risk of various types of cancers especially colon and cervical cancer
- Reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease
- Healthy cellular division
Folic acid is also one of the most important nutrients that an expectant mother needs, though the importance of this substance is not generally emphasized.
Why is folic acid is important during pregnancy
Folic acid helps in
- Spinal cord and brain development (this reduces the chances of miscarriage)
- There is also a possibility of the child developing the Neural Tube Disorder (NTD) in the absence of the supplement
- NTD is a condition which increases the risk for bowel control and bladder control problems, paralysis of lower limbs (in most severe cases), anencephaly (absence of certain parts in the scalp, brain and/or skull), spina bifida (incomplete, development of the covering or the spinal cord)
- Cell regeneration and healthy development (This is very significant in the first few weeks of pregnancy; so the expectant mother should start on folic acid supplements as pregnancy is confirmed)
- Some studies point out that regular folic acid intake reduces the risk of cleft lip and heart problems in the babies
The dosage of folic acid
As a pre-pregnancy preparation women are advised an intake of 400 micrograms of folic acid everyday. Once a woman becomes pregnant, she would be advised to take at least 600micrograms of folic acid. Most doctors may recommend even 100micrograms of the nutrient as Vitamins prescribed for expectant mothers contain 1000 micrograms of folic acid.
In case a woman tends to have any symptoms or an increased risk of NTD then she is advised to take 4000 micrograms of folic acid. Your personal health care giver would make the best choice of dosage as per your physiological profile.
Folic acid is a nutrient that is completely soluble in water. Because of this, it gets automatically flushed out when in excess. Sometimes, excessive folic acid intake may lead to a condition when a person’s Vitamin B deficiency is camouflaged. As a precautionary measure, consult your doctor for any evidence of such a deficiency.
Source of folic acid
Folate is the natural version of the nutrient found in some types of foods, but it is not as easily absorbed as folic acid. Folic acid is man made and is consumed as folic acid pills or the nutrient may be a part of a multi-vitamin pill. It is strongly advised that you should take the synthetic pill on a daily basis especially if you are an expectant mother.
In fact, the FDA recommends that all food grains/ cereals like rice, wheat flour, pasta and so on should be enriched with an optimum measure of folic acid.
Natural sources are lentils, beans, chick peas, fortified cereals, lettuce, spinach, asparagus, oatmeal, broccoli, avocados, orange juice, papaya fruit and so on.