Folic Acid/B12 supplement or not (Pescetarian) advice?

[lncermon]

Hi,

My wife and I are both pescetarian (vegetarian with fish). A few years ago she suffered a bad case of Perioral Dermatitis which lasted about 6 months, we think that this was caused by the hormone imbalanced due to her coming off the contraceptive injection at the time.

Since becoming pregnant she has some of the symptoms of Perioral Dermatitis again, though this time very light and only around her eyes.

I'm slightly worried about there being a connection between this and B12 deficiency. Although the causes could be anything from increased UV, Chili Pepers, stress, Moisturizer, toothpaste and obviously her skin type - it could be a culmination of things. I'd like peoples opinions on how important it is to take Folic Acid and B12 supplements during the first trimester if you have a good and balanced pescetarian diet. She won't take them because she says that they are not in the same form as they are when naturally occurring in foods and they decrease your bodies ability to extract it from its natural food sources.

She is right that we do get it from the food we eat anyway, but I'm slightly concerned because although we generally eat well and a wide varity of different food types, its hard to know how much you actually need and if you are getting enough. And its hard to make sense of what to do when you read what you should and shouldn't eat as so many websites seem to induce paranoia about all of the problems which may arise as a result.

thoughts much appreciated. thanks

 

[Iriki]

Hi there - as far as I know your folate requirements jump dramatically while pregnant so even though you may be eating a perfectly well balanced diet it can't really hurt to top up her folic acid intake for the sake of the baby. I live in NZ and over here it's standard practice for midwives / GP's/ Obgyns to prescribe 5mg of folic acid daily, regardless of the mother's diet or eating habits. As it's a water soluble vitamin / supplement, the body flushes any excess folic acid away.

Apparently sometimes getting too much folate can hide a vit B-12 deficiency, but I'm sure this is something her doctor would be aware of and that your wife should have a discussion about.

As for the supplements not being in the same form as when they are naturally occuring, that's true, but I don't think I would put my unborn child at any risk (however slight) for the sake of adding a few supplements to my diet for the duration of my pregnancy.

She's probably best to discuss pros and cons with a medical professional - I'm certainly not one. And the above is just my opinion - no offence intended
Wishing you both all the best for a happy and healthy pregnancy!

 

[Sarah13]

I'm a strict veggie so was also a bit concerned about supplements and my diet but decided since they were veggie friendly and it's so important for the developing baby I would take them. You need double the amount of folic acid to help prevent neural tubal defects and if you have too much of a vitamin it just gets wee'd out anyway. I think I needed the extra vitamins too as I've suffered terrible nausea, not been eating well and lost over a stone on weight. Def get her to take them, it's only 12 weeks you need them for really anyway, what is 12 weeks of popping 1 pill a day if it could help your baby develop properly? You could chat with a midwife but i think they will advise folic acid too. I know some people find out they were pregnant late on a didn't take anything and their baby's were fine but not everyone is that lucky and if you think she's also getting unwell in herself it's only going to be a benefit.

My SIL suffers with psoriasis and found it got really bad while she was pregnant because of all the hormones, she had it really bad all the way through and afterwards for a long time, so it could be just the hormones affecting her condition and not her diet, hormones do lots of strange things to us!

Obviously it's a personal choice what you do but you should decide together, your wife may be the one carrying the baby but it's your baby too so you do have some say and responsibility in how your baby develops. My husband is a meat eater and respects I'm veggie but wants me to get everything I need so he wanted me to take supplements too.