emma w
Answer
Most women need 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate each day, even if they are not planning to get pregnant. Folate is needed before and during the first weeks of pregnancy to help prevent birth defects. Because half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are not planned, women who can become pregnant should aim to get 400 mcg folate each day. That way, if they do become pregnant their babies will be less likely to have birth defects.
Some women need more folate each day:
â¢If you are pregnant, you need 600 mcg.
â¢If you are breastfeeding, you need 500 mcg.
Talk with your doctor about how much folic acid to take if:
â¢You had a baby with spina bifida or anencephaly and want to get pregnant again. Your doctor may give you a prescription for 4,000 mcg folic acid. That is 10 times the normal dose. Taking this high dose of folic acid can reduce your chances of having another baby with these birth defects.
â¢You have a family member with spina bifida. Your doctor may give you a prescription for 4,000 mcg folic acid.
â¢You have spina bifida and want to get pregnant.
â¢You are taking medicines that affect how your body uses folate. These include some of the medicines for:
â¦Epilepsy
â¦Type 2 diabetes
â¦Rheumatoid arthritis
â¦Psoriasis
â¦Inflammatory bowel disease
â¢You have kidney disease and are on dialysis.
â¢You have liver disease.
â¢You have celiac disease.
â¢You abuse alcohol.
You can also eat foods that are high in folate, such as:
â¢Beans and lentils
â¢Peas (black-eyed peas, chickpeas, green peas)
â¢Juices (orange, tomato, grapefruit, pineapple)
â¢Fruits (oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, avocado, papaya, raspberries)
â¢Soymilk
â¢Vegetables (green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, and Chinese cabbage; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; asparagus; artichokes; okra; corn; cauliflower; potato; beets; green onions; sweet red peppers)
â¢Nuts
â¢Sunflower seeds
â¢Peanuts and peanut butter
â¢Liver
â¢Giblets
You can also eat foods that have had folic acid added to them, such as:
â¢Breakfast cereals (Some have 100% of the Daily Value of folic acid in each serving)
â¢Breads
â¢Flours
â¢Pastas
â¢Cornmeals
â¢White rice
Food Label
Check the label on the package to see if the food has folic acid. The label will tell you how much folic acid is in each serving. Sometimes, the label will say folate instead of folic acid.
Good luck!>
Most women need 400 micrograms (mcg) of folate each day, even if they are not planning to get pregnant. Folate is needed before and during the first weeks of pregnancy to help prevent birth defects. Because half of all pregnancies in the U.S. are not planned, women who can become pregnant should aim to get 400 mcg folate each day. That way, if they do become pregnant their babies will be less likely to have birth defects.
Some women need more folate each day:
â¢If you are pregnant, you need 600 mcg.
â¢If you are breastfeeding, you need 500 mcg.
Talk with your doctor about how much folic acid to take if:
â¢You had a baby with spina bifida or anencephaly and want to get pregnant again. Your doctor may give you a prescription for 4,000 mcg folic acid. That is 10 times the normal dose. Taking this high dose of folic acid can reduce your chances of having another baby with these birth defects.
â¢You have a family member with spina bifida. Your doctor may give you a prescription for 4,000 mcg folic acid.
â¢You have spina bifida and want to get pregnant.
â¢You are taking medicines that affect how your body uses folate. These include some of the medicines for:
â¦Epilepsy
â¦Type 2 diabetes
â¦Rheumatoid arthritis
â¦Psoriasis
â¦Inflammatory bowel disease
â¢You have kidney disease and are on dialysis.
â¢You have liver disease.
â¢You have celiac disease.
â¢You abuse alcohol.
You can also eat foods that are high in folate, such as:
â¢Beans and lentils
â¢Peas (black-eyed peas, chickpeas, green peas)
â¢Juices (orange, tomato, grapefruit, pineapple)
â¢Fruits (oranges, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, avocado, papaya, raspberries)
â¢Soymilk
â¢Vegetables (green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce, turnip greens, mustard greens, collard greens, and Chinese cabbage; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; asparagus; artichokes; okra; corn; cauliflower; potato; beets; green onions; sweet red peppers)
â¢Nuts
â¢Sunflower seeds
â¢Peanuts and peanut butter
â¢Liver
â¢Giblets
You can also eat foods that have had folic acid added to them, such as:
â¢Breakfast cereals (Some have 100% of the Daily Value of folic acid in each serving)
â¢Breads
â¢Flours
â¢Pastas
â¢Cornmeals
â¢White rice
Food Label
Check the label on the package to see if the food has folic acid. The label will tell you how much folic acid is in each serving. Sometimes, the label will say folate instead of folic acid.
Good luck!>
Is diabetes among pregnant women bad?
Timmy
Answer
Whether the woman is diabetic and then gets pregnant or develops Gestational Diabetes, she will need additional prenatal care with careful attention to doing regular glucose testing and eating right. It is not a bad thing, but rather a condition that makes a pregnancy more high risk. One of the things that can happen with Gestational Diabetes is the baby gets very large. This is not always the case, however. A lot depends on how well the mother is able to control the diabetes with diet. Sometimes insulin is needed to maintain proper glucose levels. I had Gestational Diabetes with my youngest. She was born at 41 weeks and only weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces. I had a lot of trouble eating enough food and lost weight during my pregnancy. A pregnant woman with diabetes does have some extra challenges to deal with. Normally, with Gestational Diabetes, the diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, you are then at a greater risk to develop Type 2 Diabetes at a future time.
Whether the woman is diabetic and then gets pregnant or develops Gestational Diabetes, she will need additional prenatal care with careful attention to doing regular glucose testing and eating right. It is not a bad thing, but rather a condition that makes a pregnancy more high risk. One of the things that can happen with Gestational Diabetes is the baby gets very large. This is not always the case, however. A lot depends on how well the mother is able to control the diabetes with diet. Sometimes insulin is needed to maintain proper glucose levels. I had Gestational Diabetes with my youngest. She was born at 41 weeks and only weighed 6 pounds 14 ounces. I had a lot of trouble eating enough food and lost weight during my pregnancy. A pregnant woman with diabetes does have some extra challenges to deal with. Normally, with Gestational Diabetes, the diabetes goes away after the baby is born. However, you are then at a greater risk to develop Type 2 Diabetes at a future time.
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