Folates are water-soluble B vitamins found in both animal and plant products. They are essential for expectant mothers both when planning a pregnancy and during gestation. However, the body cannot produce them itself and must obtain them from food. After ingesting folate, the body converts it into tetrahydrofolate. This substance is necessary for cell growth and division, which is crucial for foetal development. The amount of folates needed by the body during pregnancy is usually not covered by the vitamins contained in food. To compensate for the deficiency, women are prescribed folic acid tablets.
Why is folic acid necessary during pregnancy?
Folic acid is one of the most important vitamins necessary for carrying a healthy foetus. It is responsible for cell renewal and growth. The vitamin is involved in the synthesis of nucleic acids, so tissues that divide and renew rapidly (bone marrow, blood and mucous membranes) are particularly in need of sufficient folate.
Even at the stage of planning a pregnancy, taking vitamin B9 increases fertility in both women and men. Folic acid is involved in important metabolic processes and greatly affects the quality of eggs and sperm.
During pregnancy, folate is actively involved in the formation of the foetus’s brain and spinal cord and the mother’s tissues. It is also necessary for the normal functioning of the woman’s immune system and the formation of red blood cells in the bone marrow of the mother and foetus. Folic acid is important for the development of the child not only in the early stages, but throughout the entire pregnancy, as it plays a central role in maintaining stable placental growth.
The dangers of vitamin B9 deficiency
Folic acid deficiency is not easy to detect. Its symptoms are often invisible, but the consequences can remain with the foetus for life. Therefore, pregnant women face an important task — to ensure they have sufficient reserves of this nutrient in order to minimise risks.
Folic acid deficiency leads to an increase in the number of chromosomal defects in the parents’ gametes and hinders optimal growth processes in the foetus. Vitamin B9 deficiency can cause a number of health problems affecting both the mother and the child. Low folic acid levels in pregnant women are a risk factor for the development of many defects:
- open neural tube,
- congenital spinal defects,
- meningocele,
- encephalocele,
- anencephaly,
- heart defects,
- cleft lip,
- cleft palate,
- hydrocephalus,
- urinary tract defects,
- lymphoblastic leukaemia
- cognitive impairment,
- speech development delay,
- behavioural disorders.
In mothers, folic acid deficiency can cause anaemia and premature birth. It can also have serious long-term consequences. Since folic acid is involved in the formation of blood cells, a deficiency during pregnancy makes the mother’s body more susceptible to cardiovascular disease.
A lack of folates in the father’s body leads to errors in DNA methylation and attached histone proteins, which are important epigenetic markers. Because of this, offspring have altered epigenomes, which can lead to severe malformations. Restoring normal vitamin levels in the father’s body reduces the number of sperm with abnormal morphology.
The role of folic acid in foetal development
To prevent vitamin B9 deficiency during pregnancy and avoid associated complications, folic acid should be taken well in advance. It takes about four weeks to increase vitamin levels in the body, but it is best to start preventing folic acid deficiency three months before the expected conception.
It is especially important to compensate for folate deficiency by 3-4 weeks of pregnancy, because it is during this period that the brain and spinal cord are formed and the neural tube closes. Normally, it closes completely on the 24th-25th day. If the closure is incomplete, the child is born with a cleft spine (spina bifida). Despite immediate postnatal surgery, children with this defect remain paralysed in most cases. With timely intake of folic acid, the risk of such a malformation in the embryo is significantly reduced.
However, elevated levels of folic acid are necessary for the mother and foetus throughout the entire gestational period. Sufficient amounts of folic acid reduce the risk of placental abruption, miscarriage, premature birth, and low birth weight in newborns.
