In China, nearly 13.07% of the fetuses are born with birth defects. The birth defects mainly include spinal bifida aperta, meningocele and harelip and so on. According to the medical experts, one reason of causing the birth defects is the inadequate supplementation of folic acid of the pregnant women. 

According to the medical research in China, the 21% of urban pregnant women and 38% of rural pregnant women lack folic acid inside their bodies. The lack of folic acid can be caused by the inadequate supplementation, the large demand of the fetuses and the excessive urination and so on. The medical research proves that the moderate supplementation of folic acid can effectively prevent the birth defects for the fetuses. The nutrient can be supplemented before the pregnancy, during the pregnancy and after the pregnancy. The early stage of pregnancy is the key period for the fetuses to develop their central nervous system and pregnant women should avoid all the factors which can cause fetal anomaly. During the middle and last stages of pregnancy, it is also necessary for women to supplement enough folic acid to prevent the formation of megaloblastic anemia, preeclampsia and placental abruption. As a result, it can be said that the inadequate folic acid inside the women’s bodies can cause serious and terrible results.

Women always need a large amount of folic acid in daily life, and the demand amount can rise to 600 to 800 grams during the pregnancy. Pregnant women can take the tablets to conduct the supplementation. The animal liver and green vegetables contain abundant folic acid. In order to supplement the nutrient in a right way, women should take the doctor’s advice into consideration.

Folic acid belongs to vitamin B complex. It is firstly abstracted from the leaves of plants. The folic acid in chemical industry is composed of pteridine acid, para aminobenzoic acid and amino acid. The inadequate supplementation of the nutrient can seriously cause megaloblastic anemia and leucopenia. In addition, the adequate supplementation of folic acid of pregnant women plays an important role in maintaining the healthy growth of fetuses. It can effectively prevent the congenital malformation like premature delivery and harelip.

The important role played by folic acid can be seen obviously from what has been mentioned above. Women should supplement folic acid in a moderate amount in time so as to maintain the physical health for both themselves and their babies.