Taking plenty of folic acid is easy to give birth to, sometimes, IVF

(Photo: twinsworld)

There is no evidence that folic acid improves pregnancy ability, but according to scientists, it can increase the probability of twins if two embryos are inserted into the uterus during infertility treatment.

Researchers at Rowett Institute and Aberdeen University in Scotland have found that women with high levels of folic acid are more likely to be twins when in vitro fertilization.

"Essentially folic acid increases the viability of embryos, and that's what we thought happened in this case," said Dr. Paul Haggarty, the lead researcher.

Folic acid (vitamin B9) is one of the important substances for the overall development of the fetus, especially the nervous system. Lack of this substance can cause neural tube defects that manifest as spina bifida, cranial, brain hernia . and increase the risk of malformations in the heart, limbs, urinary tract, cleft palate and jaw frogs . Therefore, pregnant women are advised to take folic acid.

  (Photo: vitamin) Haggarty and colleagues analyzed folic acid levels on 602 mothers who had in vitro fertilization. Almost all of them added folic acid in their diets. These people fill out the questionnaire, and also measure the amount of folate absorbed from the meal and the blood content.

In order to increase the chance of having a pregnancy, usually each in-vitro fertilization, the woman will receive two embryos.

The team found that twins increased in proportion to the amount of folate consumed.

Haggarty said the finding is consistent with an increase in the number of twins in people treated with IVF in the United States after wheat was fortified with folic acid in 1988.

"Our results suggest that it is possible to reduce the high rate of twins in infertility treatment by encouraging women not to exceed the recommended amount of folic acid," Haggarty said.

T. An