Conception, bringing a child into the world is an important step in the life of a couple. Although this decision affects both, the woman is the most affected as she will go through a multitude of physiological changes during the pregnancy. The infantile risks for certain medical conditions are so high that the mother must make some changes in her lifestyle before getting pregnant and during the pregnancy.
These lifestyle changes can be divided into two categories: the elimination of certain risk factors for the child (quitting smoking and alcohol for example), and the introduction of certain elements in the diet to ensure the proper development of the fetus (for example, the folic acid also known as the Vitamin B9). From a healthy nutrition point of view, before and during pregnancy, taking folic acid is one of the most important steps you can make.
You must keep in mind that some babies may come into the world with birth defects. One frequent birth defect is the neural canal defect – occurs after 28 days of conception and affects the brain and spinal cord of the fetus. The neural canal defect can manifest in two ways:
- Spina bifida: malformation characterized by the absence, usually in the lumbar and sacral region of the weld vertebral arches.
- Anencephaly: malformation characterized by the absence of the flat skull bones, which causes the brain to be exposed, even degenerate (poorly developed). If the pregnancy carries on to the end, usually the child will not live for more than a few days.
Statistics Of Birth Defects
According to the American researchers, about 1,500 pregnancies end prematurely because of the medical complications associated with the neural canal defect. An average of 2500-3000 newborns are affected by this condition, but the pregnancy is carried to the term. Of course, because it is a very serious medical condition, these children will not have a normal life. The newborns suffering from anencephaly die within days after birth, as we predicted above, and those affected by the spina bifida will suffer from paralysis and other disabilities. An estimated 200 million dollars is spent annually to treat the individuals suffering from spina bifida (these estimates include only the cost of surgery, not the costs associated with the daily care of these people.)
What are the causes that lead to anencephaly and spina bifida? The neural canal defect occurs mainly in the pregnant women taking the treatment for epilepsy or the pregnant women who have folic acid deficiency. Researchers concluded that the introduction of the folic acid in diet, before and during pregnancy reduces the risk of the neural canal defect in the newborns. In Canada for example, the neural canal defect births dropped 46% after certain foods have been treated with folic acid.
Researchers recommend for all women who reached the age when they can conceive, to include the folic acid or the Vitamin B9 in their diets – 0.4mg daily. Even if you do not plan to get pregnant soon, you should follow this advice. Why? For the simple reason that you can get pregnant without knowing it, if you practice unprotected sex. The neural canal defect occurs in an early stage of pregnancy (at 28 days after conception. It is better to prevent a condition that often leads to fetal death.
The folic acid can be found in drugs (multivitamin or folic acid supplements) or daily food (spinach, kale, lettuce, beans, peas, cereals, sunflower seeds, liver, and yeast).Listen
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