Beware of Vitamin A Intake for Pregnant Women, Moms!

You should beware of the large intake of vitamin A for pregnant women.

Pregnant women need to ensure that the food consumed provides nutritional intake according to what the mother and fetus need.

Not infrequently additional supplements are also prescribed by a doctor if necessary.

Read: 3 Benefits of Taking Pregnancy Vitamins, Don't Miss It!

However, there are some things that must be considered, because not all vitamins are good for pregnant women. One of them is vitamin A.

Reporting from the journal Teratology, too much vitamin A for pregnant women is also not good, because this can harm the baby.

What's the reason? Check out the points that we had summarized below.

Why Vitamin A for Pregnant Woman Should be Limit

Causes Birth Defects

It is important for Moms to limit the consumption of vitamin A for pregnant women.

Because it is at risk of causing birth defects and liver toxicity in high doses. The risk of birth defects due to too much vitamin A for pregnant women is the reason that pregnant women and those who are trying to conceive should stay away from prescribing acne medication isotretinoin.

Otherwise known by the brand name Accutane, and other drugs related to retinol ( vitamin A compounds).

Includes topical tretinoin (Retin-A), which is used for skin conditions.

However, this restriction only applies in the form of supplements and drugs.

You can still get as many beta-carotene benefits as you want from fruits and vegetables that contain vitamin A.

Read: 6 Benefits of Eggs Yolk for Pregnant Women

The exception to this rule is the advice of a doctor.

If a mother is deficient in vitamin A during her pregnancy, in this case, the doctor may advise vitamin A supplements.

Recognize the Symptoms

Hypervitaminosis A, or vitamin A toxicity, occurs when having too much vitamin A in the body.

Quoted from healthline.com, acute toxicity occurs after consuming a large amount of vitamin A in a short period of time, usually within a few hours or days.

Chronic toxicity occurs when a large amount of vitamin A accumulates in the body of Moms over a long period of time.

Symptoms include vision changes, bone pain, and skin changes.

Chronic toxicity can cause liver damage and increased pressure on the brain, you know.

Hypervitaminosis A can be diagnosed through a blood test. However, this case is easy to handle in a simple way, that is, only by reducing the intake of vitamin A in pregnant women.

Know the Right Portion

Vitamin A is also important in the development of the heart, ears, eyes, and limbs of the fetus.

Moms can get vitamin A from natural foodstuffs. Such as fish and fish oil, milk, eggs, dark-colored fruits, yellow and orange vegetables, tomatoes, and some vegetable oils.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests several ways for pregnant women to get the right portion of vitamin A.

First, consume foods containing carrots and tomatoes. Such as, vegetable chicken soup, or salads.

Meanwhile, beef or chicken liver should be limited during pregnancy, once or twice a month. Because the liver contains the highest amount of vitamin A.

A 3-ounce serving of beef liver can exceed the maximum daily limit of vitamin A that pregnant women can consume.

Keep in mind, that although too much vitamin A for pregnant women can have a bad impact, not getting vitamin A at all is also worse.

Not meeting your daily intake of vitamin A can also weaken your immune system.

This can lead to hyperkeratosis (which you may know as chicken skin), and cause night blindness.

If you are still in doubt, you can consult a doctor regarding vitamin A intake during pregnancy.