Diet taboos for lateral ventriculomegaly

Undercooked foods with high risk of infection, long-term large intake of highly processed foods high in sugar, oil and salt, supplements or folk remedies taken without medical advice.

I used to help the director at the Provincial Maternal and Child Prenatal Diagnosis Center to sort out the follow-up files for more than half a year. I met more than 300 cases of pregnant mothers with lateral ventricular enlargement. The most frequently asked question was "Did I eat something wrong to cause it?" What can’t you eat next? ”Many people asked if they could eat crabs, mutton, beef, and some even dared not touch eggs, saying that these are "hairy things" that will make the brain ventricles "wider." This statement is actually the life experience passed down by the elders. In the past, hygienic conditions were poor. These high-protein foods were easy to spoil and were not cooked thoroughly. Eating them could lead to allergies and fever. The fetus originally had the problem of ventricular enlargement. In case of maternal infection, it may indeed affect the prognosis. Nowadays, as long as it is thoroughly cooked and the ingredients are fresh, there is nothing that cannot be eaten.

The most controversial one is undoubtedly DHA. Several pregnant mothers told me in the past that there was a rumor in the community that "DHA supplementation will increase the amount of cerebrospinal fluid and increase the width of the cerebrospinal fluid." They were so scared that the doctor stopped prescribing DHA. In fact, there is currently no unified conclusion in the academic community: there are small sample studies showing that DHA supplementation that exceeds the daily recommended amount by more than three times may affect the secretion and metabolism of cerebrospinal fluid. However, all mainstream obstetrics guidelines, including my country's "Dietary Guidelines for Pregnant Women", clearly recommend that it is safe for pregnant mothers to supplement 200mg of DHA every day. As long as you do not buy unknown supplements by yourself and take several pills at a time, there will be no problem at all with regular doses. I have met more than a dozen pregnant mothers who have been taking DHA as prescribed by their doctors. In the later period, the absorption rate of the lateral ventricles was a little faster than that of the ones that stopped. Of course, this is also related to individual differences and cannot be directly equated.

Of course, you can’t just stuff everything into your mouth. During our follow-up visits, we did encounter cases where dietary minefields were stepped on, affecting the absorption progress. Last year, a pregnant mother was found to have a lateral ventricle width of 10.2mm at 25 weeks. She had some abnormal glucose tolerance. The elderly at home felt that she "needs to be supplemented", so they stewed pig's feet soup and pigeon soup for her every day, and also gave her some folk remedies to replenish qi and blood from time to time. Her weight increased by 7 pounds in half a month, and her fasting blood sugar It directly rose to 6.5mmol/L, but the lateral ventricle increased to 11mm during the 28-week review. Later, I was scolded by the director, so I went back to control my sugar, stopped taking folk medicines, and ate whole grains, vegetables, and moderate amounts of meat and eggs normally. The 32-week review showed that it was absorbed to 8.7mm. In the end, there was no problem at all after birth.

In fact, high-sugar and high-fat foods do not directly affect the brain ventricles. Eating too much for a long time will cause the pregnant mother's blood sugar and blood lipids to soar. If the fetus is in a high-sugar environment for a long time, the metabolic rate will be affected, and the absorption efficiency of cerebrospinal fluid will also be slowed down, which is not conducive to the retraction of the lateral ventricles. It is perfectly fine to eat hot pot or drink a cup of milk tea once in a while, but don't just eat it every day.

The most important thing to be wary of is uncooked food, such as sashimi, soft-boiled eggs, unpasteurized fresh cheese, and undercooked meat skewers from roadside stalls. These foods may carry Listeria and Toxoplasma gondii. Once the mother is infected, it may invade the fetal central nervous system, affect brain development, and aggravate the problem of lateral ventriculomegaly. This is something that obstetrics departments around the world clearly require pregnant mothers to avoid. Regardless of whether there is lateral ventriculomegaly, they must pay attention.

After sorting out so many files, my biggest feeling is that many pregnant mothers are so anxious that they dare not eat this or that. Instead, they eat green vegetables and white rice every day, but their nutrition cannot keep up, and their children absorb it slowly. On the contrary, those with big hearts eat and drink what they should. Follow up with the doctor according to the doctor's instructions, and most of them are absorbed smoothly. A pregnant mother asked me before if she could eat iced watermelon. I said you usually don’t have diarrhea if you eat iced watermelon, and your blood sugar is normal. What’s wrong with eating one or two pieces? The impact of emotional anxiety on the fetus is much greater than a piece of iced watermelon.

In fact, 90% of isolated lateral ventriculomegaly (that is, there are no other structural abnormalities except the enlargement, and the chromosomes are normal) are a normal stage in the fetal development process. Most of them will be slowly absorbed before 32 weeks. There are really not so many weird taboos in diet. Don’t scare yourself. Eat well and review on time, which is better than anything else.