lozzy21
Mummy to Niamh
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2009
- Messages
- 24,918
- Reaction score
- 0
This thread has been pinched from TTC and was wrote by Emmea12uk.
We get some many people asking about it I thought i would pinch it.
Here it goes. Emmas words are wrote in red.
You have a very simple choice, but there simply isnt enough information out there to make you aware of it. Most woman wont eat blue cheese when pregnant, wont eat certain fish...drink, smoke because there is a risk to an unborn child... You can't move without the UK government ramming these warnings at you. BUT there is a bigger risk that can nearly always be prevented by a little vitimin.
The sciencey bit
Folic Acid is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. It is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as pregnancy.
Taking folic acid prior to pregnancy helps protect against a number of congenital malformations including neural tube defects (NTDs). NTDs result in malformations of the spine (spina bifida), skull, and brain (anencephaly). The risk of NTD is significantly reduced (95%) when folic acid is taken in addition to a healthy diet prior to and during the first month of pregnancy.
The protective effect of folic acid during pregnancy goes beyond NTDs. Taking folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of congenital heart defects, cleft palate, limb defects, and urinary tract anomalies. Taking 5mg micrograms of folic acid daily (this is over ten times the dose in prenatal vitimins!!).
Recent research has shown that it is also very important for men who are planning on fathering children, reducing chromosomal defects in their sperm.
What is a NTD?
During the first month of pregnancy the neural tube (the nerves inside the spine) form, and then the spine forms around it like a zipn from head to toe. Spina bifida is when the spine traps some of these nerves (a bit like when your zip gets stuck). The damage caused depends on the level of the trapped nerves. It can be anything from vital organs, to limbs to organ function. The majority of cases involving major organs do not make it to birth.
Those that do not miscarry tend to have varying levels of paralysis in the lower body and loss of control of bowels and bladder. There is a list as long as my arm of associated conditions which tend to go hand in hand, but most notably is hydrocephalus involving the inability to drain fluid from the brain which can never be cured, but is treatable - there will always be a major health risk and involve numerous brain surgeries throughout the person's life.
There is no cure and only luck dictates how your child will be effected.
My child is a lucky one. He may walk with the help of calipers, may face periods of wheelchair use in his life. He will never be able to urinate himself without major surgery which hasnt been invented yet. He will never be able to have a natural bowel movement and may never experience sensation in penis. Everytime he raises a temperature or gets a headache, he may only have 4 hours to live if he doesnt get brain surgery. And every surgery carries risk of infection or death.
Other children will never move any part of their bodies lower than their bra lines, have a bend in their spine that can be up to 90 degrees. Have brain surgery over and over and over and over in their first years of life and repeatedly for the duration of life. The list is endless....
A staggering 95% of all cases of Spina Bifida would not have happened if the mother has taken 5mg of folic acid prior and during the first month of pregnancy... This can only be obtained from your doctor. The usual prenatal vitimin dose is only enough if you have a very good diet and do not have a genetic condition which prevents you from absorbing it (1 in 10 woman!!!)
Is it Worth it??? It is just a little pill with no known side effects
Good luck everyone!
We get some many people asking about it I thought i would pinch it.
Here it goes. Emmas words are wrote in red.
You have a very simple choice, but there simply isnt enough information out there to make you aware of it. Most woman wont eat blue cheese when pregnant, wont eat certain fish...drink, smoke because there is a risk to an unborn child... You can't move without the UK government ramming these warnings at you. BUT there is a bigger risk that can nearly always be prevented by a little vitimin.
The sciencey bit
Folic Acid is necessary for the production and maintenance of new cells. It is especially important during periods of rapid cell division and growth such as pregnancy.
Taking folic acid prior to pregnancy helps protect against a number of congenital malformations including neural tube defects (NTDs). NTDs result in malformations of the spine (spina bifida), skull, and brain (anencephaly). The risk of NTD is significantly reduced (95%) when folic acid is taken in addition to a healthy diet prior to and during the first month of pregnancy.
The protective effect of folic acid during pregnancy goes beyond NTDs. Taking folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of congenital heart defects, cleft palate, limb defects, and urinary tract anomalies. Taking 5mg micrograms of folic acid daily (this is over ten times the dose in prenatal vitimins!!).
Recent research has shown that it is also very important for men who are planning on fathering children, reducing chromosomal defects in their sperm.
What is a NTD?
During the first month of pregnancy the neural tube (the nerves inside the spine) form, and then the spine forms around it like a zipn from head to toe. Spina bifida is when the spine traps some of these nerves (a bit like when your zip gets stuck). The damage caused depends on the level of the trapped nerves. It can be anything from vital organs, to limbs to organ function. The majority of cases involving major organs do not make it to birth.
Those that do not miscarry tend to have varying levels of paralysis in the lower body and loss of control of bowels and bladder. There is a list as long as my arm of associated conditions which tend to go hand in hand, but most notably is hydrocephalus involving the inability to drain fluid from the brain which can never be cured, but is treatable - there will always be a major health risk and involve numerous brain surgeries throughout the person's life.
There is no cure and only luck dictates how your child will be effected.
My child is a lucky one. He may walk with the help of calipers, may face periods of wheelchair use in his life. He will never be able to urinate himself without major surgery which hasnt been invented yet. He will never be able to have a natural bowel movement and may never experience sensation in penis. Everytime he raises a temperature or gets a headache, he may only have 4 hours to live if he doesnt get brain surgery. And every surgery carries risk of infection or death.
Other children will never move any part of their bodies lower than their bra lines, have a bend in their spine that can be up to 90 degrees. Have brain surgery over and over and over and over in their first years of life and repeatedly for the duration of life. The list is endless....
A staggering 95% of all cases of Spina Bifida would not have happened if the mother has taken 5mg of folic acid prior and during the first month of pregnancy... This can only be obtained from your doctor. The usual prenatal vitimin dose is only enough if you have a very good diet and do not have a genetic condition which prevents you from absorbing it (1 in 10 woman!!!)
Is it Worth it??? It is just a little pill with no known side effects
Good luck everyone!
.
