Take Folic Acid For Pregnancy – Important To Reduce Risk Of Birth Defects In Newborns

You’ve probably known much about the link between folic acid and pregnancy, that it is important for pregnant women to take in adequate levels of folic acid daily. Indeed, even when you are trying to conceive, one of the first things your doctor will advice is that to start taking folic acid.

Folic acid, or known as folate, is a B vitamin naturally present in a variety of foods, such as/including naturally orange-colored food (e.g. oranges, sweet potatoes, yams), dark-green leafy vegetables (e.g. spinach and kale), and cereals.

Folic acid is extremely important for cellular division and DNA synthesis in human, especially for proper development of the neural system (i.e. brain, skull, spinal cord) of the newly developed embryo. Sufficient folic acid intake before and as soon as a woman become conceived is crucial in the prevention of serious birth defects, such as neural tube defects, in her baby.

One of the most frequently seen birth defects is malformation of the spine – spina bifida. In this particular birth defect, the spinal cord and column is not closed up completely. Adequate folic acid supplementation can greatly lower your baby’s risk of developing spina bifida.

Other forms of birth defect, such as anencephaly (a serious underdevelopment of the brain), and encephalocele (abnormal protrusion of the brain tissue through the skin), can also be prevented with sufficient folic acid intake.

The abnormalities mentioned above usually occur in early pregnancy, during which women usually are not aware that they’ve conceived. This is the primary reason why you should to take folic acid as soon as you started trying to conceive.

However, it’s difficult to meet your daily folic acid intake requirement just from the foods you eat, therefore it’s recommended that you start to take preconception supplements that contains folic acid as soon as you plan to conceive. This helps to make sure that your child is born healthily and that you’ll have a healthy pregnancy as well.

By taking 400 micrograms (equivalent to 0.4 milligrams) of folic acid daily before you get pregnant, it can significantly reduce the risk of the above-mentioned birth defects in your baby.

Apart from the general benefits of folic acid for pregnancy, there are now even more reasons to take folic acid, including men. Studies showed that folic acid is very important for fertility in both women and men.

For men, folic acid is needed in the process of spermatogenesis (i.e. formation of sperms). In women, folic acid plays a vital role in the formation of ovums (eggs), successful implantation of the embryo in the uterus, and the normal function of placenta. Therefore, both men and women should receive adequate amounts of folic acid every day to prevent subfertility.

If you wish to know what diet, vitamins and supplements that may help enhance your fertility and get pregnant quickly, you may check out Personal Path to Pregnancy, which is one of the most popular get-pregnant e-books available.

Read important knowledge about how to be a good parent – go through the site. The time has come when proper information is truly within your reach, use this possibility.

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