Benefits of Folate: Fertility, Pregnancy, and Postpartum

What is Folate?

Folate is a critical component for the body but what is it exactly? Folate is a B Vitamin (Vitamin B9) that your body needs to make DNA and other genetic material. Folate is needed to form healthy blood cells, specifically red blood cells. It is an essential prenatal supplement for pre-conception and throughout pregnancy as it supports baby’s brain, eye, and nervous system development. Folate also is a key nutrient for your skin, cartilage, teeth, and bone health. 

Check out our liquid folate: https://pinkstork.com/products/liquid-folate

It is important to note that there is a difference between Folate and Folic Acid. Folate is the organic form of Vitamin B9. Folic Acid is the synthetic form of Vitamin B9 that is added to processed food products like flour and breakfast cereals. Because Folic Acid is synthetic, it will take longer to break down in your body in comparison to Folate which will begin to break down upon consumption. We believe in using only quality, organic ingredients, which is why we offer Folate. 

Benefits of Folate during Fertility 

There are many benefits to folate for both men and women during fertility.  

For women, Folate is crucial during the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before you may know you are pregnant even! For women who are struggling to conceive, Folate can help prevent pregnancy defects that can lead to a miscarriage. Folate also aids in cell metabolism throughout your body,  including your ovaries, meaning stronger ovaries lead to a higher chance of becoming pregnant. Folate also plays an important role in stress and inflammation in your body. Increased stress also causes the need for more Folate in general. Stressors can impact your ability to conceive, but with the right amount of Folate intake, you can help counteract this stress.  

For men, Folate is just as important. Women are born with all the eggs they are going to have in their lifetime. For men it is different. Men create sperm on a daily basis, with 1,500 new sperm cells created every second! Men that take Folate have experienced a 74% increase in the amount of normal sperm in their semen. Folate levels in men also lead to strong sperm DNA stability.  

Benefits of Folate during Pregnancy 

Folate is huge for pregnancy. Folate plays an important role in the production of red blood cells and helps your baby’s neural tube develop in the brain. In your growing baby, the neural tube will later become the baby’s brain, spinal cord, and the bones that enclose them. If something goes wrong in their development, the result is called a neural tube defect. This can cause a wide range of disabilities such as loss of bladder and bowel control and paralysis of the legs. In some cases, the effects can be more severe.

Folate can help prevent some major birth defects of the baby’s brain (anencephaly) and spine (spina bifida). Having Folate during pregnancy can also help prevent having a premature or low-weight baby.

Benefits of Folate during Postpartum 

Once your baby is here, you enter the stage of Postpartum. During this stage, your body is seriously trying to heal from delivery since it has just gone through a major transformation. Anytime healing is involved, this means new cells, which means a need for Folate in your body. It is recommended that women continue taking their 400 mcg of folic acid during postpartum, and breastfeeding moms should take 500 mcg daily. Moms who are breastfeeding lose some of their nutrients, resulting in an increase in their recommended daily amount. If you are breastfeeding do not worry about Folate passing through breastmilk. This is good for your baby’s health since Folate will help their little body grow for healthy development. Folate can also increase your mood and energy levels to make life so much easier to care for you and your baby.  

We offer a Liquid Folate that you can take throughout all life stages that requires 1mL a day. All the key ingredients are found in our Liquid Folate for an easy way to take and faster absorption.  

We also offer Folate in a vegetarian capsule that only needs to be taken 1x a day. 

All of our Folate supplements are made with no dyes, artificial flavors, or GMOs. We use only trusted,  quality ingredients to ensure optimal results for you and your growing family.