Why Do Women Need to Take Folate Before Pregnancy?
Not only eating nutritious food during pregnancy, women should also prepare their bodies since they are still planning to get pregnant. What for? So that when pregnant, a woman is ready to fulfill the nutrients her body and fetus need. One of the nutrients that women must prepare before becoming pregnant is folate.
Folate or folic acid is a synthetic form of vitamin B9 that women need before pregnancy to help fetal growth and protect body cells. The body needs folate when cells are growing rapidly, such as during pregnancy. During pregnancy, the size of the uterus (uterus) increases, the placenta develops, the body circulates more blood, and the fetus grows very rapidly.
Why do women need folate before becoming pregnant?
The fetus grows rapidly during pregnancy. Taking folate before pregnancy and during pregnancy will help reduce the risk of birth defects in babies. Folate helps lower the risk of birth defects, such as neural tube defect (NTD), defects in the heart and limbs, disorders of the urinary tract, narrowing of the gastric valve, and oral-facial clefts, such as cleft lip and palate.
In early pregnancy or even before a woman knows that she is pregnant, folate plays an important role in the early development of the fetus, when the fetus is still in the form of a neural tube. The neural tube forms in the third and fourth weeks of pregnancy and grows into the brain and spinal cord. A neural tube that is not completely closed is called neural tube defect (NTD). An example of NTD is spina bifida (the spine is not completely closed), anencephaly (absence of parts of the brain), and encephalocele (the baby’s skull is not completely closed).
In addition to reducing the risk of birth defects, folate is also needed to form normal red blood cells and prevent anemia. Folate is also essential for the production, repair and function of DNA. Fulfillment of folate requirements is essential for the rapid growth of placental cells and for fetal development and growth.
When to start taking folate, and how much?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The United States (CDC) recommends women of childbearing age consume 0.4 mg (400 mcg) of folate / day to prevent birth defects, at least a month before becoming pregnant. Indonesia through its 2013 Adequacy Rate of Nutrition recommends consuming folate of 400 mcg / day before pregnancy and plus 200 mcg / day during pregnancy.
Women who take folate every day according to the recommended dosage starting at least one month before conception (conception) and during the first trimester of pregnancy can reduce their baby’s risk of developing NTD by more than 70%.
What foods contain folate?
Folate can be found in green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, whole grains and other foods. Spinach, beef liver, asparagus, and brussels sprouts are the highest sources of folate. In Indonesia, the government has made folate fortification mandatory for all flour that is marketed for the purpose of improving nutrition.
Here are some food sources of folate:
- Flour that has been fortified with folate
- Green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green, radish lettuce
- Fruits, such as oranges, avocados, papayas, bananas
- Nuts, such as nuts chickpeas (chickpeas)
- Peas
- Corn
- Dairy products
- Chicken, beef, eggs and fish
- Wheat
When do you need additional folate intake?
Folate is needed during pregnancy to support the growth and development of the baby, so adequate folate intake is needed at this time. However, there are certain conditions that require women to consume more than the generally recommended amount of folate (400 mcg), these conditions are:
- Women who are obese have a greater risk of having a baby with NTD, so a folate intake greater than 400 mcg is required.
- Women who have previously had babies with NTDs are advised to consume more folate than is generally recommended.
- In multiple pregnancies, folate consumption greater than 400 mcg is recommended.
- Some people with genetic variations, known as mutations methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) which makes it difficult for the body to process folate.
- Women who suffer from diabetes and take anti-seizure drugs are at risk of having a baby with NTD, so it is advisable to consume folate greater than 400 mcg
For women who experience this condition, you should consult a doctor at least a month before becoming pregnant to find out what folate needs to be consumed.
Folate intake is very important from before pregnancy, the early stages of pregnancy until at least 4-6 weeks after birth, and during breastfeeding. It may be a little difficult to guarantee the fulfillment of folate needs. Moreover, certain foods that contain folate are sometimes not a high source of folate because the folate content can be lost from food during storage or can be damaged during cooking. Therefore, taking folate supplements may be needed to meet the body’s needs for folate.
However, you should consult your doctor first before you decide to take folate supplements, because excessive folate can also be bad for the fetus.
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