Does not taking folic acid during pregnancy have any effect on the fetus?

During the pregnancy preparation period, doctors will recommend women to take folic acid tablets until the third month of pregnancy. Folic acid tablets can prevent fetal malformations and also prevent anemia in pregnant women. However, for women in remote areas, folic acid tablets are relatively unfamiliar. Will it have any effect on the fetus if they do not take folic acid tablets during pregnancy?

Will not taking folic acid tablets during pregnancy have any effect on the fetus? Folic acid tablets are used to prevent fetal malformations. If you don't eat it, you can supplement folic acid if your body has enough folic acid or you can eat two bananas a day.

The role of folic acid

1. Anti-tumor

Researchers have found that folic acid can cause tumor cell apoptosis and can affect the gene expression of tumor cells to a certain extent. It is a natural anti-cancer vitamin.

2. Promote the growth and development of infant neuron cells and brain nerves

If folic acid tablets are added appropriately to the food for babies under three years old, it can promote the growth and development of children's brain nerves and improve their IQ. In foreign countries, the Food and Drug Administration has already approved the addition of folic acid tablets to infant formula. Folic acid tablets are considered a healthy food preservative.

3. Treat mental illness

Follow-up studies have found that folic acid tablets can also provide a therapeutic solution for patients with schizophrenia, which can significantly alleviate the symptoms.

4. Treat other chronic diseases

Folic acid tablets can also be used to treat chronic atrophic gastritis, inhibit bronchitis phospholipid conversion, and prevent coronary artery sclerosis, myocardial damage and myocardial infarction caused by hyperhomocysteinuria. Taking a variety of nutrients including folic acid tablets can reduce the risk of preeclampsia in pregnant women.

The harm of folic acid deficiency

In addition to pregnant women and fetuses, folic acid deficiency in children can also cause serious harm. Folic acid deficiency in children can cause the nutritional deficiency disease megaloblastic anemia, while folic acid deficiency in early pregnant women can cause neural tube defects in the fetus, including anencephaly and spina bifida.

Folic acid deficiency in pregnant women is very common. Even for pregnant women with good nutrition, because the amount of folic acid needed during pregnancy is about 6-8 times higher than that during non-pregnancy, the folic acid content in blood cells and blood cells during pregnancy will gradually decrease as the pregnancy system progresses. Lack of folic acid tablets makes the difficulty of phantom clouding more difficult. Pregnant women who are deficient in folic acid have a higher risk of developing preeclampsia, placental abruption, etc. Folic acid deficiency is also a key factor leading to the onset of cardiovascular disease.

There are standards for the minimum amount of folic acid tablets that pregnant women need every day. The minimum daily folic acid requirement for married women is 50 mg. To prevent neural tube defects in the fetus, older women should take 400 mg of folic acid tablets in addition to their diet at least once a day from the first month of pregnancy planning to the third month of pregnancy. The strongly recommended intake of folic acid tablets for pregnant women is 600 mg per day, and for breastfeeding mothers is 500 mg. The maximum tolerable intake is 1000 mg per day.