When a woman wants to get pregnant, the first thing to do is to stop taking birth control, right? But did you know that the first thing you should actually do is start taking folic acid?

Benefits of Folic Acid

Folic acid should be used before conception and, most importantly, during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in order to prevent malformations in the baby. In addition, folic acid also reduces the chances of miscarriage1. Most pregnancy losses occur precisely due to malformations that make the fetus nonviable and, as a result, nature interrupts the pregnancy.

Recommended Intake

The ideal amount of folic acid to take during pregnancy is 0.4 to 0.8mg per day, and any woman can start taking it with no contraindications, as folic acid is a vitamin present in several foods, such as broccoli and dark green legumes.

Some wheat flour manufacturers have added a tiny, almost unnoticeable amount of folic acid to their products, but it still makes a difference in everyday nutrition. Other foods that are high in folic acid:

  • Potatoes cooked with the skin
  • Asparagus
  • Fish (especially salmon)
  • Eggs
  • Beans (beans, chickpeas, lentils, peanuts)

Does Folic Acid Cause Weight Gain?

Folic acid does not cause weight gain and it is unlikely that anyone will develop allergies to it. It is recommended that both men and women start taking it even before conception to strengthen the gametes and promote the healthiest possible pregnancy. For couples trying to conceive and pregnant women, another option is to take B-complex vitamins2. Taking multivitamins that contain these nutrients is, therefore, essential for those trying to conceive.

Problems Prevented by Using Folic Acid During Pregnancy

Certain problems can be prevented by ingesting the right amount of folic acid, and the ideal is to take it until the first trimester of pregnancy, when the baby’s organs are forming. After this period, the folic acid present in prenatal vitamins is enough. In addition to miscarriage, folic acid in pregnancy also helps prevent:

Neural Tube Defects (spina bifida)

The neural tube is the first structure to form in the fetus. Usually, around 30 days after conception, the embryo completes this formation and begins to close it. The neural tube is located at the end of the baby’s spine once it is formed, and if it does not close properly, it leads to the problem known as spina bifida.

Cranial Malformations

Besides the spine, the skull cap can also have malformations such as anencephaly (absence of brain development) and encephalocele. The skull cap may show a defect just above the baby’s eyes and can affect the spinal cord, causing muscle wasting of the lower limbs.

Hydrocephalus

This is another disease that folic acid in pregnancy helps prevent. It is characterized by an accumulation of fluid in the skull, which causes it to expand due to increased internal pressure.

Cleft Lip

Cleft lip is a split caused by poor closure of the head tissues early in pregnancy. The grooves between the mouth and nose are the result of this tissue joining and are natural scars. People with a cleft lip do not have complete closure, which can cause both superficial fissures and more severe ones such as those affecting the palate.

Heart Diseases

Folic acid during pregnancy also prevents heart malformations and heart conditions in the baby, such as arrhythmia, murmur, and others. Moreover, folic acid provides a lower risk of preeclampsia in women with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, pre-hypertensive women, or those with diabetes. It has been scientifically proven that babies born from pregnancies supported by folic acid are smarter, speak better, and start walking earlier than babies who did not have this nutritional support pre-conception3.

Women with a history of fetal malformations or recurrent miscarriages should take folic acid throughout the entire pregnancy and in higher doses, which may reach up to 5mg daily. The ideal is to eat foods like oranges and acidic fruits right after taking folic acid, as they help the body absorb the vitamin.

Vitamin B9 also helps folic acid absorption and, therefore, it is ideal to take it as part of a vitamin complex!

Treatment with synthetic hormones can interfere with folic acid absorption, so if you are still taking birth control, there is no point in taking folic acid supplements. It is advisable to stop the birth control before you start supplementation.

Remember, both men and women should use folic acid to help conceive healthy babies and prevent the risk of miscarriage. Lack of folic acid increases the risk of neural tube defects in the baby, which occur in the first weeks of development.

See also: Trying to Get Pregnant? Things Every Woman Trying Should Know