A pregnant mother will need complete and fulfilling nutrition, so that fetal development is maintained. One of the nutrients that pregnant women must consume is folic acid.
Folic acid has an important role in the formation of brain cells in the fetus. With this, adequate folic acid intake can support children's intelligence even though they are still in the womb.
Benefits of Folic Acid for Pregnant Women and the Fetus
Folic acid is a type of B vitamin, namely vitamin B9, which plays a role in the process of forming new cells and in the production of DNA so it is very necessary for human growth and development.
This nutrition is very necessary for pregnant women. The reason is, during pregnancy, the child has started to develop in the womb since fertilization, you know.
With that, folic acid has an important role in forming brain cells and the fetal neural tube. Not only that, folic acid also forms red blood cells and spinal cord.
That is why it is very important for pregnant women to meet their folic acid needs.
How to Prevent Folic Acid Deficiency in Pregnant Women
According to recommendations from the Indonesian Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology (POGI) and WHO, the recommended dose of folic acid is 600µ/day (0.6 mg/day).
In general, pregnant women will be prescribed supplements to meet their folic acid intake,
Apart from supplements, folic acid is also found in many foods such as nuts, oranges, wheat, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, and others.
Risk Factors for Folic Acid Deficiency
Based on a survey conducted by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), it was found that women of reproductive age have an increased risk of folic acid deficiency.
This is due to a lack of intake so that women of reproductive age are advised to consume folic acid before pregnancy until the first three months of pregnancy.
So apart from pregnant women, people who are not pregnant can also experience folic acid deficiency, especially individuals who have inadequate nutritional nutrition, old age, and also malnutrition.
There are also other causes apart from lack of folic acid intake, namely consumption of certain drugs (methotrexate, phenytoin, sulfasalazine, and trimethoprim).
Apart from that, this can also be caused by a lack of enzymes needed for folic acid metabolism, alcohol consumption during pregnancy, dialysis or dialysis.
Apart from that, you also have the potential to experience folic acid deficiency if the amount of vitamin B12 in your body is quite low.
The reason is, a lack of vitamin B12 can cause accumulation of folic acid and increase the excretion of folic acid through urine.
Characteristics of pregnant women lacking folic acid
If you have a folic acid deficiency, you may not feel any particular symptoms.
But actually, you can also feel the signs of a pregnant woman lacking folic acid, depending on how severe the case is.
Characteristics of pregnant women lacking folic acid that may arise include mouth ulcers, swollen tongue, headaches, difficulty concentrating, and irritability.
However, these symptoms are not a sign that pregnant women are lacking specific folic acid.
Therefore, you need to consult a doctor to find out the appropriate physical examination and laboratory examination recommendations.
Impact of Folic Acid Deficiency on Pregnant Women
It should be noted that the consequences of a pregnant mother's lack of folic acid can also be felt by the fetus in the womb.
More specifically, your little one may experience an abnormality called a neural tube defect with a picture like the one below:
In addition, low folic acid concentrations during pregnancy can increase the risk of premature labor, low birth weight, developmental disorders in children, preeclampsia, and miscarriage.
In order to prevent this from happening, make sure you pay attention to your daily nutritional intake since planning a pregnancy.
Don't forget to carry out regular check-ups with your doctor to detect possible signs that pregnant women are deficient in folic acid and prevent unexpected things from happening as early as possible.
Written by: dr. Florence Adeline
Reference :
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Folic Acid
Healthline. Folic Acid and Pregnancy
New England Journal of Medicine. Folic acid deficiency in pregnancy