Instructions for supplementing multivitamins and folic acid for pregnant women

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Nguyen Van Thanh - Obstetrician and Gynecologist - Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology - Vinmec Ha Long International Hospital

In order for a baby to be born healthy, it is very important to have a complete diet with all the necessary nutrients. What is the most reasonable dose to supplement with multivitamins and folic acid from before pregnancy?

Folic acid is the most important vitamin a mother needs to pay attention to during the pre-pregnancy period.
Folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, is a B-group folate vitamin. Folate plays an important role in the production of blood cells and helps the neural tube in your baby's brain and spinal cord develop. Folic acid deficiency is a major cause of neural tube defects in infants. Therefore, folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy can help your baby reduce up to 50% to prevent birth defects in the brain and spinal cord damage.
When should I start supplementing with Folic Acid?
These birth defects can appear during the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy. Therefore, folic acid supplementation in the early stages, when the brain and spinal cord are developing, is extremely necessary. Pregnant women should take folic acid supplements from 3 months before pregnancy and the first 3 months of pregnancy. According to the recommendations of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pregnant women should take folic acid supplements daily, at least one month before becoming pregnant.
In addition, women of childbearing age should also supplement with this vitamin, due to low iron stores because of blood loss during menstruation, women are more susceptible to folic acid deficiency than men, leading to frequent fatigue. tired.
The best source of folic acid is from nutritional cereals. Folate is also found in a lot of dark green vegetables such as broccoli, spinach, nuts, ... and some citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits...

However, it will be difficult to know exactly if you have enough folic acid every day, because foods containing folic acid content each day can be different, the way of processing is also different. Therefore, the best way is recommended that women should use available oral tablet forms, with standardized Folic Acid content, so pregnant women can be completely assured, without fear of deficiency or excess. this vitamin.
According to the recommendations of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the recommended daily intake of folic acid is at least 400 mcg.
A note when supplementing with Folic Acid, is that women should drink it 30 minutes after a meal, with filtered water.
Can also drink in the evening 2 hours before going to bed and accompanied by a little snack will make the stomach comfortable.
I also note that vitamin supplements have many types of Folic Acid with iron. After taking a tablet containing Folic Acid and iron, the stool may be black in color with the iron contained in the tablet, so it is not a sign of concern at all.

What vitamins need to be supplemented, and what trace elements are also issues that many women are concerned about when preparing to become pregnant.
Iron is the second most important element for women who are preparing for pregnancy, after folic acid. During pregnancy, a woman's iron requirement is twice as high as normal, while iron stores in a woman's body are often low due to blood loss during the menstrual cycle. Adequate iron in the body before pregnancy is an extremely important factor to help prevent risks and risks of birth defects.
Therefore, women need adequate iron supplements if they want to get pregnant. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), women should consume 30-60 mg of iron per day, at least 3 months before becoming pregnant. With this trace element, women can supplement in the form of oral tablets with standard concentrations.
For pregnant women with anemia, it is necessary to take the therapeutic dose according to the current regimen under the direction of a doctor.
In addition to folic acid and iron that need to be supplemented before pregnancy, other vitamins have also been shown to contribute to the reduction of abnormalities as well as malformations for the fetus. An essential amount of vitamins and minerals for a woman's body before pregnancy helps to store and prepare for pregnancy with a more stable and stable state of mind.
Moreover, in the early stages of pregnancy, pregnant women often suffer from morning sickness, unable to eat and drink, their metabolism is affected, so the pre-pregnancy reserve is very important.,.
Women preparing to become pregnant can supplement vitamins from food or pills. Vitamin A is abundant in sea fish liver, carrots, pumpkins, tomatoes... Vitamin C in green vegetables, fresh fruits ... The diet of each person as well as due to the influence of the nature of work and life makes it very difficult for you to supplement enough vitamins and trace elements with appropriate levels. Therefore, choosing the form of oral tablets that have been studied and balanced with supplements is still the most optimal choice.
However, supplementing nutrients, folic acid and vitamins for pregnant mothers is not an easy matter. The reason is because the body, weight, as well as the status of each woman is different, especially those who have other diseases, from mild such as headache, malnutrition, anemia, .. . to more serious and dangerous diseases. Therefore, to ensure the safest and most effective health care for the mother to prepare for a healthy fetus, you can visit your doctor to receive the best support.
At Vinmec Times City International General Hospital, advising women about to become pregnant on how to take, as well as the dosage of vitamins and essential substances to supplement is part of the Health Care and Counseling Program. healthy before pregnancy.

To prepare for a healthy pregnancy, when starting to plan for pregnancy, in addition to fully supplementing with multivitamins, both husband and wife should have a reproductive health check from 3-5 months before pregnancy. pregnant. Accordingly, the wife should be vaccinated before pregnancy, especially rubella, flu, chickenpox, ... during pregnancy, especially in the first 3 months, the mother can contract these diseases. cause miscarriage, birth defects. Besides, before planning a pregnancy, the mother also needs to perform screening for genetic diseases before pregnancy to ensure that the baby is always healthy and in good shape.
Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has a full range of vaccines for women planning to become pregnant and during pregnancy. Accordingly, all vaccines present at Vinmec are stored in a modern cold storage system, meeting GSP standards to help vaccines always keep the best quality. Customers will be examined by specialist doctors, fully screened for physical and health problems, advised on appropriate vaccines, with injection regimens, how to monitor and care during and after. Immunization according to the latest recommendations of the Ministry of Health & World Health Organization to ensure the best effectiveness and safety for customers.
Besides, in order to improve the quality and service of reproductive health care, Vinmec is now implementing a package maternity program. When choosing Vinmec's maternity and health checkup packages, customers will receive an in-depth examination with leading obstetricians and gynecologists. They are all qualified, experienced and well-trained doctors who can detect abnormalities in the fetus very early (at Vinmec, many abnormal cases have been detected and doctors intervened). intervention, treatment brought very positive results).