The human body can only function healthily when it is fully supplemented with the necessary nutrients. However, on mother and baby groups, there is a rumor that “Vitamin A causes birth defects” which makes many mothers confused. So what is the truth of this issue?

Pregnant women need twice as many nutrients as normal people during pregnancy to provide for the development of the child. However, how to supplement nutrients depends on the physical condition and needs of the body. In the article below, let’s find out whether vitamin A causes birth defects and how to supplement vitamin A properly!

The role of vitamin A in pregnancy

Vitamin A is the most important mineral, playing an important role in the development of pregnancy. Thanks to vitamin A, mothers and babies will receive wonderful benefits such as:

• For pregnant mothers: Vitamin A helps mothers increase resistance, prevent infections and repel gynecological diseases that affect the health of both mother and baby.
• For fetuses: Vitamin A helps children develop comprehensively physically. The skeletal system will become stronger, organs will be fully formed in function and shape. Moreover, vitamin A also promotes children’s eyesight to be brighter and healthier.

Vitamin A stimulates the mother’s immune system to work more effectively

Is it true or false that vitamin A causes birth defects?

If vitamin A is not supplemented properly, it can increase the risk of birth defects. This statement was published in the journal Pubmed that: Pregnant women who consume more than 10,000mcg/day are likely to give birth to children with birth defects such as:

• Cleft palate, cleft palate affects the child’s aesthetics and ability to speak.
• Hydrocephalus causes an imbalance in the formation and absorption of cerebrospinal fluid.
• Heart-related defects such as heart valve failure, septum deficiency, etc.
• Children have reduced or lost fertility at birth, such as no uterus, sperm defects, etc.
• Visual disorders, night blindness, blindness, congenital eye defects.

Thus, it can be seen that using more than the necessary dose of vitamin A can cause birth defects in the fetus.

How to detect pregnant women with excess vitamin A?

Just like vitamin A deficiency, excess vitamin A in the body also manifests itself through typical symptoms. If you suspect that you have an excess of this substance, you can base it on the following factors:

• Chapped lips, weak hair, dry skin.
• Decreased vision.
• Increased pressure on the skull, causing severe headaches.
• Weak bones, easy to break.

Hair loss is the first warning sign of vitamin A excess

Consequences of pregnant women with excess vitamin A

Excess vitamin A is something that pregnant women really need to pay close attention to. The reason is that this phenomenon can cause many unpredictable consequences such as:

• Dry eyes, blurred vision, dry skin and acne.
• Subclinical disorders such as changes in cell differentiation, reduced iron metabolism, reduced immune response.
• Clinical disorders such as slow growth, increased disease rates, anemia, eye diseases such as corneal ulcers, night blindness, keratomalacia.
• Serious abnormalities in the fetus, early embryonic death.
• Related to gestational diabetes.

How to treat excess vitamin A?

Excess vitamin A treatment will be easily overcome when detected early. Therefore, when you notice yourself having the above symptoms, you should apply the following methods to limit the risks from excess vitamin A. Specifically:

• Immediately stop using pills and functional foods that supplement vitamin A.
• Limit the consumption of foods rich in vitamin A such as: fish oil, animal liver, potatoes, carrots, etc.
• In case the mother is severely poisoned, the abnormal signs cannot go away after 1-2 weeks, you should visit a reputable medical facility for timely examination and treatment. Doctors will prescribe medication to inhibit excess vitamin A.

Vitamin A causes birth defects if too much is present.

How to supplement vitamin A properly?

Although vitamin A supplementation is very good, it is still necessary to follow a certain ratio. If you are still wondering, you can refer to the following principles for safe vitamin A supplementation:

Control the appropriate dosage

Pregnant women should only consume 800mcg of vitamin A/day. At the same time, you should not supplement a large amount at once but should divide it into many small meals during the day through foods such as: Sweet potatoes, beef liver, carrots, kale, dark oranges, spinach, watermelon, etc.

Supplement at the right time

Although pills and functional foods are very good, they should only be used when diagnosed with vitamin A deficiency. It is best for pregnant women to take them as prescribed by a doctor and after meals because this nutrient is highly soluble in fat.

Do not combine many drugs with vitamin A

Vitamin A can interact with drugs that reduce absorption or increase the effects of drugs such as: Cholestyramine, neomycin, isotretinoin, liquid paraffin. In that case, the above drugs may lose their therapeutic effect or the pregnant woman may be poisoned by the drug, leading to vomiting, coma, diarrhea or fetal death.

Therefore, pregnant women should inform their doctor about the drugs they are taking, avoid combining the above drugs with vitamin A.

The above article must have provided readers with useful knowledge about vitamin A supplementation. In fact, vitamin A causes fetal malformations only when the pregnant mother supplements too much, causing an imbalance of nutrients in the body.