Knowledge Center

Pregnancy and Nutrition

What is nutrition, and why is it important during pregnancy?

Nutrition is about eating a healthy and balanced diet so your body gets the nutrients that it needs. Nutrients are substances in foods that our bodies need so they can function and grow. They include carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water.

When you’re pregnant, nutrition is more important than ever. You need more of many important nutrients than you did before pregnancy. Making healthy food choices every day will help you give your baby what they need to develop. It will also help make sure that you and your baby gain a healthy amount of weight.Do I have any special nutritional needs now that I am pregnant?

You need more folic acid, iron, calcium, and vitamin D than you did before pregnancy:

• Folic acid is a B vitamin that may help prevent neural tube defects.
  • Before pregnancy, you need 400 mcg (micrograms) per day.
  • During pregnancy and when breastfeeding, you need 600 mcg per day from foods and/or vitamins. It is hard to get this amount from foods alone, so you will most likely need to take a supplement that contains folic acid.
• Iron is important for your baby’s growth and brain development. During pregnancy, the amount of blood in your body increases, so you need more iron for yourself and your growing baby. You should get 27 mg (milligrams) of iron a day.
• Calcium during pregnancy can reduce your risk of preeclampsia. It’s a serious medical condition that causes a sudden increase in your blood pressure. Calcium also builds up your baby’s bones and teeth.
  • Pregnant adults should get 1,000 mg (milligrams) of calcium a day
  • Pregnant teenagers (ages 14-18) need 1,300 mg of calcium a day
• Vitamin D helps the calcium to build your baby’s bones and teeth. All women, pregnant or not, should be getting 600 IU (international units) of vitamin D per day.

Keep in mind that taking too much of a supplement can be harmful. For example, very high levels of vitamin A can cause birth defects. Only take vitamins and mineral supplements that your health care provider recommends.

You also need more protein when you are pregnant. Healthy sources of protein include beans, peas, eggs, lean meats, seafood, and unsalted nuts and seeds.

Getting enough fluids is another special nutritional concern during pregnancy. When you are pregnant, your body needs even more water to stay hydrated and support the life inside you. So it’s important to drink enough fluids every day.How much weight should I gain during my pregnancy?

How much weight you should gain depends on your health and how much you weighed before pregnancy:

• If you were at a normal weight before pregnancy, you should gain about 25 to 35 pounds
• If you were underweight before pregnancy, you should gain more
• If you were overweight or had obesity before you became pregnant, you should gain less

Check with your provider to find out how much weight gain during pregnancy is healthy for you. You should gain the weight gradually during your pregnancy, with most of the weight gained in the last trimester.Do I need to eat more calories when I am pregnant?

How many calories you need depends on your weight gain goals. Your provider can tell you what your goal should be, based on things like your weight before pregnancy, your age, and how fast you gain weight. The general recommendations are:

• In the first trimester of pregnancy, you probably do not need extra calories
• In the second trimester, you usually need about 340 extra calories
• In the last trimester, you may need around 450 extra calories per day
• During the final weeks of pregnancy, you may not need extra calories

Keep in mind that not all calories are equal. You should eat healthy foods that are packed with nutrients – not “empty calories” such as those found in soft drinks, candies, and desserts.What foods should I avoid during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, you should avoid:

• Alcohol. There is no known amount of alcohol that is safe for a woman to drink during pregnancy.
• Fish that may have high levels of mercury. Limit white (albacore) tuna to 6 ounces per week. Do not eat tilefish, shark, swordfish, marlin, orange roughy, or king mackerel.
• Foods that are more likely to contain germs that could cause foodborne illness, including
  • Refrigerated smoked seafood like whitefish, salmon, and mackerel
  • Undercooked meat, poultry, eggs, and seafood
  • Refrigerated meat spreads
  • Store-made salads, such as chicken, egg, or tuna salad
  • Unpasteurized or raw milk
  • Unpasteurized juices or cider
  • Unpasteurized soft cheeses, such as unpasteurized feta, Brie, queso blanco, queso fresco, and blue cheeses
  • Raw sprouts of any kind (including alfalfa, clover, radish, and mung bean)
  • Raw cookie dough
  • Unwashed fruits and vegetables
• Too much caffeine. Drinking high amounts of caffeine may be harmful for your baby. For most people, it’s best to limit caffeine to less than 200 mg per day during pregnancy. But first check with your provider about whether you should have caffeine at all.

Prostate Cancer

What is prostate cancer?

Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. Prostate cancer begins in the cells of the prostate. The prostate is a gland in the male reproductive system. It lies just below the bladder. It makes fluid that is part of semen.

Prostate cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. It often grows very slowly. If it does not spread to other parts of the body, it may not cause serious problems. But sometimes prostate cancer can grow quickly and spread to other parts of the body. This kind of prostate cancer is serious.What causes prostate cancer?

Researchers don’t know for sure what causes prostate cancer. They do know that it happens when there are changes in the genetic material (DNA).

Sometimes these genetic changes are inherited, meaning that you are born with them. There are also certain genetic changes that happen during your lifetime that can raise your risk of prostate cancer. But often the exact cause of these genetic changes is unknown.Who is more likely to develop prostate cancer?

Anyone who has a prostate can develop prostate cancer. But certain factors can make you more likely to develop it:

• Age. Your chance of developing prostate cancer increases as you get older. Prostate cancer is rare in people under age 50.
• Family health history. Your risk of prostate cancer is higher if you have a parent, sibling, or child who has or has had prostate cancer.
• Race. African Americans are more likely to get prostate cancer. They’re also more likely to:
  • Get prostate cancer at a younger age.
  • Have more serious prostate cancer.
  • Die from prostate cancer.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer doesn’t always cause symptoms, especially at first. If it does cause symptoms, they may include:

• Problems urinating (peeing), such as:
  • A urine stream that’s weak, hard to start, or starts and stops
  • Suddenly needing to urinate right away
  • Urinating often, especially at night
  • Pain or burning when urinating
  • Blood in your urine or semen
• Pain in your lower back, hips, or pelvis that does not go away
• Painful ejaculation (the release of semen through the penis during orgasm)

But many of these symptoms may be from other common prostate problems that aren’t cancer, such as an enlarged prostate.

You should discuss your prostate health with your health care provider if you:

• Have symptoms that could be prostate cancer
• Have a high risk for developing prostate cancer
• Had a screening test that suggests you could have prostate cancer

What are prostate tests and how is prostate cancer diagnosed?

Tests which check for prostate cancer include:

• A digital rectal exam (DRE). In this exam, your provider feels your prostate for lumps or anything unusual by inserting a lubricated, gloved finger into your rectum.
• A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test. A high PSA blood level may be a sign of prostate cancer. But many other things can cause high PSA levels, too.
• Imaging tests. These tests may use ultrasound or MRI to make pictures of your prostate.

If these tests show that you might have prostate cancer, the next step is usually a prostate biopsy. A biopsy is the only way to diagnose prostate cancer.

During a biopsy, a doctor uses a hollow needle to remove some prostate tissue. The tissue is studied under a microscope to look for cancer cells.What are the treatments for prostate cancer?

Your treatment options usually depend on your age, your general health, and how serious the cancer is. Your treatment may include one or more options:

• Observation,which is mostly used if you are older, your prostate cancer isn’t likely to grow quickly, and you don’t have symptoms or you have other medical conditions. Your doctor will keep checking on your cancer over time so to see whether you will need to start treatment for the cancer. There are two types of observation:
  • Watchful waiting means having little or no testing. If symptoms begin or change, you will get treatment to relieve them, but not to treat the cancer.
  • Active surveillance means having regular tests to see if your prostate cancer has changed. If the tests show the cancer is starting to grow or if you develop symptoms, then you will have treatment to try to cure the cancer.
• Surgery to remove your prostate gland may be an option if your cancer hasn’t spread outside of your prostate.
• Radiation therapy uses high energy to kill cancer cells or prevent them from growing.
• Hormone therapy blocks cancer cells from getting the hormones they need to grow. It may include taking medicines or having surgery to remove the testicles.
• Chemotherapy uses medicines to kill cancer cells, slow their growth, or stop them from spreading. You might take the drugs by mouth, as an injection (shot), as a cream, or intravenously (by IV).
• Targeted therapy uses drugs or other substances that attack specific cancer cells. This treatment causes less harm to healthy cells than radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
• Immunotherapy helps your own immune system to fight cancer.

Can prostate cancer be prevented?

Making healthy lifestyle changes may help to prevent some prostate cancers. These changes include:

• Being at a healthy weight
• Quitting smoking
• Getting enough exercise
• Eating healthy foods

NIH: National Cancer Institute