When is the best time to take folic acid?

　　What is folic acid

　　Folic acid is a water-soluble B vitamin that is abundantly stored in green leafy vegetables, fruits and animal livers. Folic acid participates in the entire process of human metabolism and is an essential vitamin for the synthesis of DNA, an important substance in the human body. Its deficiency can besides lead to fetus nerve In addition to tube malformations, it can also increase the malformation rate of the eyes, lips, palate, gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular, kidneys, bones and other organs.

　　When is the best time to take folic acid?

　　From one month before pregnancy to three months after pregnancy, taking 0.4 mg of folic acid supplements every day can prevent the occurrence of most neural tube malformations in the fetus. It is worth mentioning that women should take folic acid under the guidance of a doctor. In addition, they need to pay attention to the following points:

　　It must be taken starting one month before pregnancy. The purpose of starting to take it before pregnancy is to maintain a certain level of folic acid in a woman's body to ensure a better nutritional status of folic acid in the early embryo. During the sensitive period of fetal neural tube formation in early pregnancy, sufficient folic acid can meet the needs of nervous system development, and it must be taken consistently during the sensitive period of the first three months of pregnancy to achieve the best preventive effect.

　　The role of folic acid

　　Folic acid supplements are taken to prevent neural tube defects caused by folic acid deficiency in pregnant women. Folic acid deficiency is the main cause of neural tube defects, but it is not the only cause. Taking folic acid supplements can prevent 80% of babies born with neural tube defects.

　　Precautions when taking folic acid

　　Do not substitute "folic acid tablets" for "low-dose folic acid supplements." Each tablet of folic acid supplement contains only 0.4 mg of folic acid and is the only preventive drug approved by the state (trade name is "Slian"). There is a treatment available on the market anemia The "folic acid tablets" used contain 5 mg of folic acid per tablet, which is equivalent to 12.5 times that of "Slilian" tablets. Pregnant women should avoid taking such large doses of folic acid tablets in the early stages of pregnancy, because long-term use of large doses of folic acid tablets will have adverse effects on pregnant women and fetuses. Therefore, pregnant women are reminded to follow the guidance of doctors and health care personnel and avoid taking or buying medicines indiscriminately.