What should I do if I have an unexpected pregnancy? When is the best time to take folic acid tablets?

Many expectant mothers who are preparing for pregnancy know that they should start taking folic acid three months before pregnancy. So, how should expectant mothers who have unexpected pregnancy supplement folic acid? Many mothers don’t know what folic acid tablets should be taken when preparing for pregnancy. In fact, the most reasonable approach is to supplement small doses (0.4 mg per day) of folic acid as early as possible from the moment the pregnancy is discovered. The demand for folic acid increases during pregnancy. After a woman enters pregnancy, the body\’s demand for folic acid increases significantly due to the influence of embryonic development. However, because folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin, the amount stored in the human body is very limited, only 5 to 20 mg. Although the daily diet also contains natural folic acid, from the perspective of the body\’s utilization rate, the utilization rate of synthetic folic acid in folic acid tablets is 1.7 times that of natural folic acid. Therefore, in order to avoid birth defects caused by lack of folic acid, folic acid should be supplemented as soon as possible after pregnancy is discovered. Taking folic acid as early as possible is beneficial to embryonic development. In the early stage of embryonic development, the fetus develops very quickly. By the second and third months, all organ primordia have basically been formed. Then, it\’s just the inner cells that multiply, increasing their size. As early as the formation of the fertilized egg, the cleavage mechanism starts immediately: in the 6th week, the heart primordium with two tubes merging appears. Although it does not have the shape of a heart, it has begun to beat. In the 7th week, the neural tube appears, the back part forms the spinal cord, and the front part is slightly enlarged, which is the primordium of the brain. During this process, cell growth, differentiation, and migration require a large amount of folic acid. At this time, if the body lacks folic acid, it will lead to very serious birth defects – including neural tube defects, congenital heart disease, cleft lip and palate, etc. Therefore, we advocate scientific preparation for pregnancy and supplementing small doses of folic acid in advance. Even in the case of unplanned pregnancy, supplementing folic acid as early as possible will help alleviate the folic acid deficiency in the expectant mother and provide necessary nutrients for the development of the fetus. Finally, I would like to remind all female friends: supplement folic acid during pregnancy as early as possible and in appropriate amounts. It is best to make comprehensive adjustments to your body and mind through preparation during the pregnancy preparation stage. In this way, you can give birth to a healthy baby.