Vitamins are amino acid compounds that are needed by our body but can not be produced by the body itself, hence it should come from outside through our daily food intake. The nature gives us the luxury by providing various food sources that contains all the vitamins that we need. In many circumstances, it is lack of our knowledge that results to various kinds of illness and disturbances due to vitamin deficiencies.
Now, vitamin becomes essential in particular conditions which include the conditioning of getting pregnant and the pregnancy itself. Its essentiality lies in its role to support normal growth and development of a human being.
Starting from the very beginning at the conception where the development occurs by absorbing the essential nutrients. The growing fetus needs certain vitamins and minerals to develop body parts and system such as the skin, bone as well as the muscles.
If serious deficiency happens in one or several vitamins and nutrients, the presence of a deficiency disease will and are most likely to cause permanent damage in the growing fetus.
After the completion of fetal growth and development and after birth till it gets mature into a healthy adult, vitamins and minerals are still required to maintain the perfect function of the entire body systems. They are needed as catalysts of various metabolic processes of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. So, the message is very clear, do not neglect your vitamin and mineral requirement, please
It is recommended to start taking vitamin supplements when you plan to get pregnant. You can select the kind of prenatal vitamins which contain a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals. Look for those that contain B vitamins, Folic acid and Zinc, which are essential in the production of female hormones.
Here is an overview of “vitamins that become essential” if you plan to get pregnant
Vitamin A, together with Vitamin D, E and K are included in the fat soluble vitamin group. It plays an important role in our immune system which provides protection against various infection caused by viruses and bacteria that may lead to infertility. It also maintains skin and eye health.
Vitamin A is also recognized to help in hormone balancing, splitting and differentiation of cells and boost fertility in women and increases the quality and production of sperm in men
The recommended daily requirement for men is 900 mcg and for women 700 mcg. Vitamin A rich foods include milk, egg substitute, cheese, cod liver oil, spinach, sweet potatoes, peaches, mangoes, tomato, peas, carrots, broccoli and sweet melon.
In fact, the orange-red colored fruit or vegetables indicate that they contain -carotene the precursor of vitamin-A which will be metabolized to become vitamin-A
Vitamin B Complex are water soluble vitamins and includes vitamin B1 (thiamin), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid) and B12 (cobalamin). Although they are all important, but folic acid is the primary vitamin B member in pregnancy.