Patient's question:
Can you eat folic acid during pregnancy? And what should you eat during this stage for the baby's benefit? Because I had a miscarriage six months ago, and when I was almost two months pregnant, I had vaginal bleeding. An ultrasound showed no fetal heartbeat!Doctor's answer:
Hello:Taking 0.4 milligrams of folic acid supplements daily during the one month before pregnancy and the three months after can prevent most neural tube defects in the fetus. It is worth noting that women should take folic acid under the guidance of a doctor. Additionally, the following points should be paid attention to:
1. Folic acid must be taken one month before pregnancy. The purpose of emphasizing the need to start taking it before pregnancy is to maintain a certain level of folic acid in a woman's body, ensuring that the early embryo has good folic acid nutrition. According to research, it takes about four weeks for a woman's body to correct a folic acid deficiency after taking folic acid. Only then can sufficient folic acid meet the needs of nervous system development during the sensitive period of early fetal neural tube formation. Moreover, it is essential to continue taking folic acid during the first three months of pregnancy to achieve the best preventive effect.
2. Women in areas with a low incidence of neural tube defects in China should also supplement with folic acid. The incidence of neural tube defects in China is higher in northern regions than in southern regions and higher in rural areas than in urban areas. As a result, some people believe that women in low-incidence areas do not need to take folic acid during pregnancy. However, this misconception may become a hidden risk for the birth of children with neural tube defects. According to surveys, a significant portion of women of childbearing age in low-incidence areas still lack folic acid. Therefore, women in low-incidence areas must not be complacent about taking folic acid before pregnancy.
For natural miscarriage, the key should be prevention. Once signs of miscarriage appear, the main approach is absolute bed rest, with medication used as a supplement, such as progesterone. In reality, progesterone has a very narrow range of effects in preventing miscarriage and is only suitable for cases where the woman's own progesterone production is insufficient.