Know What Anencephaly Is
Anencephaly is a condition that is harmful to a baby, where he or she is born without some parts of the brain and skull bones. The risk of a baby being born with this condition will increase if his mother lacks folic acid during pregnancy.
Anencephaly is a disorder of fetal nerve tube formation. This disease makes the baby's brain, skull, spine, or spinal cord not normally formed.
It's very important to know how to reduce the risk of anencephaly, given the absence of treatment methods that can be used to save babies from this condition.
Sensitive Causes
The exact cause of anensefali ( anencephaly ) is not known yet, but there are a number of factors that are thought to increase the risk of the baby experiencing this condition, namely:
- Genetic abnormalities.
- Lack of certain nutrients, especially folic acid.
- Exposure to toxic substances from the environment, and drugs or food consumed by the mother during pregnancy.
- Born of mothers who suffer from obesity or diabetes.
- Mothers are often exposed to high temperatures, such as when taking a warm bath, steam bath (sauna), or fever.
Lack of folic acid is often called the cause of this condition. Folic acid (vitamin B9) itself is one type of nutrient found in many types of foods and supplements. This substance is needed by pregnant women to help produce red blood cells, and support the development of the fetus and prevent it from experiencing disability.
Can Anencephaly be Treated?
Until now there has been no treatment method that can be used to cure anencephaly. Almost all babies who suffer from this condition will die within a few hours or several days after being born.
Therefore, anencefali preventive measure is a very important thing to do. A pregnant woman needs to get adequate nutrition from balanced nutritious food, especially foods that are rich in folic acid.
Women of childbearing age and planning to become pregnant are encouraged to consume at least 400 micrograms of folic acid per day. While women who are pregnant need to consume folic acid around 400-600 micrograms per day.
While for women who have given birth to babies with neural tube defects, folic acid must be consumed at least 4 milligrams (4,000 micrograms) per day, from one month before conception.
You can get folic acid from pregnancy supplements or from food. Some foods that are rich in folic acid are:
- Green leafy vegetables
- Nuts
- Beef liver
- Orange
- Rice
- Bread
- Cereals
- Pasta
The routine of checking a pregnancy to an obstetrician is also an important step to anticipate anencephaly early. Your doctor will give folic acid supplements and tell you what types of food you need to consume during pregnancy, to prevent anencephaly in the fetus.
Label : Family
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