Folic acid supplements should be started at least 1 month before pregnancy. In fact, folic acid is abundant in natural foods such as beef liver, beans, peas, avocados, milk, eggs, legumes, spinach and parsley. However, studies have shown that 1 in 4 women of reproductive age have folic acid deficiency. Since almost half of their pregnancies are unplanned, I recommend folic acid supplements to all women of reproductive age. Because many women find out that they are pregnant after their menstrual period is late, approximately 4-5 weeks will be too late to use folic acid. This is because the neural tube begins to form from the 3rd week after fertilization. However, even if it has not been used before, it should be started after pregnancy is diagnosed. Every woman of reproductive age who does not use an effective birth control method such as IUD or birth control pill should use folic acid supplements in case of a possible pregnancy. The importance of folic acid during pregnancy is that it prevents neural tube effects. The first primitive nervous system to form in the embryo is the neural tube. The spinal cord and brain develop from the neural tube. The flat precursor tissue closes in a cylindrical shape to form the neural tube.
In some cases, this tube cannot close in some places, it remains open (spina bifida) or the upper part does not develop (anencephaly). All of these abnormalities are very serious, sometimes incompatible with life, or lead to serious congenital disabilities. Folic acid reduces the incidence of these rare abnormalities. You can take folic acid supplements alone or with them, as they are included in many multi-vitamins and blood medications. There are some forms of folic acid. Folic acid is the form of folic acid found in supplement medications. The name of the derivative found in natural foods is folate. While both are absorbed in the intestines, they are converted into its biologically active form, L-methyl THFL. You can choose any of these 3 types as folic acid supplements. They have no superiority over each other, their benefits will be the same. The daily recommended amount of folic acid is between 400 and 800 micrograms (0.4 - 0.8mg). In some special cases, this dose is not sufficient and a higher dose must be used. Having a gap in the back (spina bifida) in a previous pregnancy and It is higher in patients who either have a history of giving birth to a baby whose head has not yet formed (anencephaly), or whose parents have similar conditions in their family, who use epilepsy medication, who have pre-gestational diabetes, whose baby had a cleft lip or palate in a previous pregnancy, or who has short or missing limbs. It must be used in appropriate doses. Except for these cases, it is not necessary to use high doses of folic acid supplements.
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