When many women who are preparing for pregnancy or who have just discovered early pregnancy come to the doctor, they always ask: Are you taking folic acid supplements? So what is folic acid? Why do you need to take folic acid supplements? Today, we’ll give you a little knowledge about folic acid that you must know. Folic acid, also known as pteroyl glutamate, is a water-soluble B vitamin necessary for the maintenance of normal life activities in the human body, and is an important coenzyme in the process of DNA synthesis in tissue cells, participating in almost all biochemical reactions in the human body and playing an important role in human anabolism. I. Effects of folic acid deficiency on pregnant women 1. megaloblastic anemia: If pregnant women lack folic acid in early pregnancy, the intracellular deoxyuridine nucleoside cannot be converted into deoxythymidine nucleoside, the synthesis process of new DNA is blocked, the nucleus stops developing while the cytoplasm continues to develop, and the development of the two is unbalanced, resulting in the formation of megaloblastic cells with large size but nuclei that are naive, and pregnant women are prone to megaloblastic anemia. This can lead to megaloblastic anemia. 2. Hypertensive disease during pregnancy: If there is a deficiency of folic acid, insufficient synthesis of 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and the conversion of homocysteine to methionine is impaired, homocysteine will accumulate and lead to homocysteinemia, which will damage the vascular endothelium through oxidation and lead to hypertensive disease during pregnancy. Several studies have found that regular folic acid supplementation before and after pregnancy can reduce the incidence of gestational hypertension, preeclampsia and eclampsia. 2. Effects of folic acid deficiency on fetus 1. Homocysteine has toxic effects on embryo: homocysteinemia caused by folic acid deficiency has embryotoxic effects. 2, abnormal development of tissues and organs: early pregnancy is the period of embryonic development, which is an important stage for the differentiation and development of fetal organs and the formation of the placenta, and at this stage, cell growth is fast, DNA synthesis and cell division are vigorous, and the demand for folic acid is higher than normal. 3, increase the incidence of miscarriage and preterm birth: mainly due to the metabolic disorders caused by folic acid deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia, which increase the rate of miscarriage and preterm birth. Folic acid is so important, but the human body can not synthesize folic acid itself, and must rely on food or drug supplementation. Folic acid is widely available in animal and plant foods, including liver, kidney, green leafy vegetables, potatoes, and wheat bran; tablets of folic acid or multivitamins containing folic acid are also available in the market.