Folic acid is used by the cells to perform various important functions. Also called vitamin B-9, this vitamin is plentiful in leafy green vegetables, lima beans, white beans, kidney beans, peas and fruits. Cereal and grain products have folic acid added during their manufacture. A folic acid deficiency can cause several symptoms, but an interruption in urination is not one of them.
Folic Acid
The cells use folic acid to help make red blood cells, DNA, RNA and the amino acid methionine. Methionine is then used to make lipids, proteins and the myelin substance that covers the nerves. Folic acid helps to break down carbohydrates into glucose for energy, and is necessary for the development of the nervous system and the brain. As explained by the University of Maryland Medical Center, it is involved in maintaining your mental health. All of the functions that folic acid performs are especially vital when your tissues are developing at a fast rate.
A Lack of Folic Acid
A deficiency of folic acid can cause an anemia, called megaloblastic anemia, where the red blood cells are abnormally large and immature. It can cause neural tube defects, which is why physicians recommend that pregnant women take 4 mg of folic acid every day before they conceive and during their first trimester, according to F. Gary Cunningham, M.D., Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Texas, writing in "Williams Obstetrics." A lack of folic acid can cause diarrhea, depression, confusion and an inflammation in the tongue. It does not interrupt urination.
Bladder Outlet Obstruction
Bladder outlet obstruction is the medical term to describe any obstruction in the bladder that either stops urine from leaving the bladder or decreases the amount of urine that does leave. One of the symptoms can be an interruption. It can be due to various conditions including benign prostatic hyperplasia, scar tissue in the urethra tube that carries urine from the bladder, a tumor in the pelvis, prostate cancer, and cancer in the urethra or bladder, according to Roni Zeiger, M.D., in the "Diagnosaurus." Bladder stones and spasms in the urethra can also interrupt urination, but this condition is not caused by a lack of folic acid.
Diagnosis of Intermittent Urination
If you have interruptions in your urination, called intermittent urination, you should check with your physician to find out the cause. Otherwise, urine can back up and cause damage or infections in your bladder and even in your kidneys. The physician will do a physical exam; the results of the exam may suggest that you have a bladder outlet obstruction, but this will need to be confirmed, advises Charles McCuskey, M.D. of Capital Emergency Associates in "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Emergency Medicine." You may need an ultrasound test to see the amount of urine left in your bladder. A CT scan and abdominal x-ray can show what is blocking the urine flow.
References
- "Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Emergency Medicine"; C. K. Stone, M.D., Roger Humphries, M.D.; 2008
- "Diagnosaurus"; Roni Zeiger, M.D.; 2006
- "Principles of Medical Biochemistry"; Gerhard Meisenberg, Ph.D., William Simmons, Ph.D.; 1998
- "Smith's General Urology"; Emil Tanagho, M.D., Jack McAninch, M.D.; 2008
- "University of Maryland Medical Center"; Vitamin B9 (Folic Acid); Steven Ehrlich; 2009
- "Williams Obstetrics"; F. Gary Cunningham, M.D., Kenneth Leveno, M.D., Steven Bloom, M.D. et al.; 2010
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