What is the use of calcium supplementation for pregnant women
Release time : 09/05/2025 09:30:04
Many people are puzzled why they need to take calcium supplements before pregnancy, but not during it. The reason is that a woman will lose a lot of calcium during pregnancy, and the baby's needs for calcium come entirely from her body.
In other words, it's not just about supplying calcium to the mother; it also nourishes the baby.
So, aside from that, what are the benefits of calcium supplementation for pregnant women? Let's take a look together! The importance of calcium supplementation for pregnant women is crucial for both themselves and their unborn child.
Many diseases are caused by deficiencies of calcium in pregnant women, and if they take enough calcium, it can greatly reduce the occurrence of the following diseases.
Below, we analyze the benefits of calcium supplementation for both pregnant women and their babies from both perspectives.
Calcium supplementation during pregnancy can reduce the occurrence of adverse conditions in the fetus as follows: 1. Congenital disease. Insufficient calcium in the fetus may easily lead to neonatal congenital laryngeal cartilage softening disease.
When the newborn breathes in, congenital cartilages curl up and come into contact with the larynx, which is very easy to obstruct the entrance of the laryngeal tract and produce snoring. This is very unfavorable for the health of the newborn.
What's more important is that insufficient calcium intake during fetal development can easily lead to rickets, characterized by conditions such as skull softening, brachycephaly, abnormal closure of the anterior fontanelle, costochondritis, and pectus excavatum or acroosteolysis.
2. Skeletal development is abnormal fetal skeleton and teeth mineralization begins at 2 months and accelerates suddenly at 8 months, thus absorbing a large amount of calcium from the maternal blood to meet their needs.
If the pregnant woman lacks calcium, it will directly affect the development of fetal bones.
3. The brain's development is not fully matured during pregnancy, which is a critical period for fetal brain growth and development.
Calcium is necessary for the growth, metabolism and normal function of brain cells.
Therefore, calcium is very important for fetal intellectual development and nervous system. Calcium supplementation can enhance the intellectual development of future offspring.
Pregnant women can reduce symptoms such as edema in the hands and feet, and soreness in the lower back and legs by taking calcium supplements. After pregnancy, the shoes that were originally comfortable become tight and uncomfortable, and there is often soreness in the lower back and legs. These symptoms are commonly observed in the late stages of pregnancy and are related to a large amount of calcium loss, a decrease in serum calcium concentration, and changes in endocrine function.
Mom can reduce the risk of edema and lower back pain through calcium supplementation.
2. Prevention of cramps and joint pain is closely related to calcium's role in activating the contractions of cardiac and skeletal muscles, as well as in regulating neuronal activity.
When pregnant mothers lack calcium, it can lead to increased excitability of nerves, resulting in muscle contraction, cramping, joint pain, and other symptoms.
Therefore, it is essential for pregnant women to ensure adequate calcium intake to prevent these symptoms.
3. Preventing Preeclampsia: After becoming pregnant, not only do women have to endure the agony of various pregnancy reactions, but they may also suffer from preeclampsia, a type of pregnancy poisoning that poses a threat to the health of both the mother and the fetus.
Calcium deficiency is an important factor in the development of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Clinical studies have shown that supplementing calcium can reduce the incidence of pregnancy toxemia.
Therefore, supplementing calcium preparations is crucial for pregnant mothers.
What is the best source of calcium for pregnant women? "What is the best source of calcium for pregnant women?" Definitely, this is a topic that many expectant mothers pay close attention to.
In fact, besides taking some calcium supplements under the guidance of doctors, pregnant women should also eat more foods rich in calcium.
So, what foods are good for pregnant women to take calcium from? Mothers-to-be, come and gather around.
1. Dairy Products: Milk, powdered milk, cheese, yogurt, and condensed milk are all excellent sources of calcium for pregnant women. In a half-pound serving of milk, nearly 300mg of calcium can be found, along with various amino acids, lactic acid, minerals, and vitamins that help to facilitate the complete absorption and digestion of calcium.
It is important to note that since the fetus requires all of its calcium from the mother, a pregnant woman's intake of calcium through food alone cannot meet the rapidly growing needs of the fetus. Therefore, it is necessary to choose appropriate calcium supplements to strengthen calcium supplementation.
2. Seafood: kelp, dried shrimp, crucian carp, silver carp, silver carp, mud loach, etc. All sea food contain rich calcium, among which the kelp and dried shrimp contain the most calcium.
Seaweed, when cooked with meat, or even after being cooled and mixed, not only has a delicious taste but also rich in calcium content. 25g per day can provide 300mg of calcium.
The content of calcium in shrimp is more abundant, 25g of shrimp contains 500mg of calcium, so it is advisable to make soup or stuffing with shrimp to add calcium.
3. Dairy Products: Tofu, soy milk, tofu, tofu skin, tofu curd, etc., are all rich in calcium in the soybeans and various soy products we often eat. Moreover, soybeans are high in protein.
In 500g soybean milk, there are 120mg of calcium. In the same amount of tofu, there is 500mg of calcium.
But since the absorption rate of calcium in tofu is much lower than that in dairy products, milk remains the best source of calcium, while soy can be supplemented with.
4. Vegetables: Chinese cabbage, rapeseed, fennel, coriander, celery, etc. Some varieties of vegetables also contain a large amount of calcium, such as 100g of Snow Lotus contains 230mg of calcium.
Broccoli, rape, fennel, coriander, celery and so on each 100g content of calcium is about 150mg.
However, the main drawback is that these vegetables mostly contain oxalic acid and phytic acid, which can affect the absorption rate of calcium by humans.
5. Nuts: Almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, and white walnuts all contain calcium essential for the human body. In addition to calcium supplementation, they also provide beneficial unsaturated fatty acids that enhance your skin health while you nourish your bones.
When to Supplement Calcium for Pregnant Women As a pregnant woman, it is extremely important to ensure adequate calcium intake.
However, calcium supplementation must be timed correctly.
When should a pregnant woman start to take calcium supplements? Below, MamaNet.com will address this question.
Q: When is it best for pregnant women to start taking calcium supplements? A: It's not necessarily the earlier or more that pregnant women take calcium supplements.
Under normal circumstances, it is recommended to start calcium supplementation in the fourth month of pregnancy.
At this time, expectant mothers may consume easily digestible foods such as biscuits, steamed buns, toast, cakes, etc., and eat more water-rich vegetables and fruits to replenish water, vitamin C, B vitamins, and minerals like calcium and potassium, thereby alleviating symptoms of pregnancy discomfort.
What are the myths of calcium supplementation for pregnant women? From the fourth month, the fetus enters a period of rapid growth, and at this time, it is necessary to prioritize calcium supplementation for pregnant women.
However, during the calcium supplementation process, some pregnant women may fall into some misconceptions, resulting in poor calcium supplementation effects.
Below, the Ma Family Knowledge Base has compiled a list of behaviors that can affect calcium absorption for everyone to take note. Pregnant women, pay attention!
1. Pregnant women should not take calcium supplements while taking iron supplements, as this can interfere with the absorption of iron. If you have symptoms of anemia, avoid taking iron-rich foods or iron supplements while taking calcium supplements or antacids that contain calcium.
Because calcium can affect iron absorption.
Similarly, due to the high calcium content in milk, you should not take iron supplements with milk. You can choose to drink milk between meals.
2. Pregnant women should take calcium tablets on an empty stomach, not on an empty stomach.
It can be taken with meals, after meals, between meals, or before bedtime. It is best to rest for half an hour after dinner before taking it. Adequate chyme at this time can interfere with oxalic acid and promote calcium absorption
In addition, the blood calcium concentration is low at night, so taking calcium before bedtime is also beneficial for calcium absorption
3. When calcium supplements are taken together with multivitamins, pregnant women should avoid taking other multivitamin supplements at the same time because multivitamins generally contain other inorganic salts, and there are interactions between calcium and iron, zinc, magnesium, and phosphorus. For example, calcium can inhibit the absorption of iron, zinc, etc.
Therefore, it is advisable not to take calcium supplements simultaneously with other multivitamin tablets.
4. During pregnancy, pregnant women should avoid taking calcium supplements containing lead, as it can be harmful to the fetus.
The latest research shows that some "natural" calcium tablets contain a small amount of lead, which is harmful to fetuses.
5. After taking calcium supplements, it is not advisable to consume tea immediately. The tannins in tea can interfere with the absorption of calcium, which is detrimental to the effect of calcium supplementation for pregnant women.
Pregnant women should be cautious when taking calcium supplements. The importance of calcium supplementation for pregnant women has always been a significant topic in the realm of pregnancy care.
However, many pregnant women have misconceptions and even radical beliefs about calcium supplementation during pregnancy.
Regarding the precautions for calcium supplementation during pregnancy, are you truly aware? Let's hear from MaNet Encyclopedia
1. Pregnant women should pay attention to the impact of food factors on calcium absorption. The presence of high salt content in the diet or consuming a large amount of protein can easily lead to calcium excretion through urine, affecting the effectiveness of calcium supplementation.
Foods such as spinach, rapeseed and bran contain a lot of oxalic acid or phytic acid. These substances can also affect the absorption of calcium.
Appropriate amounts of protein, dietary vitamins D, acidic amino acids, and low-phosphate diets can all enhance calcium absorption, which plays a role in promoting calcium supplementation for pregnant women.
2. Taking a small dose of calcium tablets is easy to absorb. In theory, when the intake of calcium increases, the absorption rate will be relatively reduced.
In terms of absorption, it has been shown that calcium absorption is highest below 500 mg. However, whether taking two 300 mg doses daily or one 600 mg dose daily provides better absorption is not yet clear from large-scale studies.
However, for pregnant women who experience stomach discomfort or relative lack of acid, taking small amounts frequently is advisable.
3. For pregnant women, consuming bone soup for calcium supplementation should be accompanied by the addition of vinegar. The traditional Chinese approach to calcium supplementation for pregnant women through bone soup contains very little calcium because it is difficult for calcium in bones to be released during the cooking process. Even after a long period of stewing, the calcium content in the soup remains negligible. However, adding some vinegar can promote the dissolution of calcium from the bones.
In addition, longer cooking of bone soup increases the fat content.
Therefore, if a pregnant woman drinks too much bone soup, it is easy to lead to an excess intake of fats.
*The medical information provided in this text is for reference only.
In case of discomfort, it is advised to seek medical attention immediately. The diagnosis and treatment should be based on the professional medical examinations conducted in person.