Is It Safe To Take A Prenatal When Youre Not Pregnant Yet
The very first thing you might ask yourself when youre planning to have a baby is: what can I do to make sure that me and my future bubs are as healthy as possible?
While this article lists all the benefits of taking a prenatal when youre not pregnant yet, you also need to know if its even safe to do so. After all, prenatals are mostly developed for women who are already pregnant.
Well, the CDC recommends that all women of reproductive age take 400 micrograms of folic acid each day, not just women who are already pregnant!
Also, the Mayo clinic states that its generally a good idea for women of reproductive age to regularly take a prenatal vitamin.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists also thinks starting early with prenatals is a great idea. They recommend taking a prenatal vitamin at least 1 month before becoming pregnant, but since you cant predict whats going to happen in the future, its a good bet to start when you start trying for a baby. Besides, you want to start early as Ill show you what the science says about how a good prenatal vitamin can actually improve your chances of becoming pregnant faster!
For Maximal Pregnancy Benefit Doctors Recommend Starting Prenatal Vitamins Before Conceiving Do Prenatals Also Improve Your Fertility
You hear it from fertility doctors and obstetricians all of the time: If you are looking to get pregnant you should start taking a prenatal vitamin every day. Why do doctors recommend starting prenatal vitamins even before you’re pregnant? Will it help speed up the time it takes to get pregnant? The answer is interesting.
Prenatal Vitamins Don’t Replace Healthy Eating
Some pregnant people believe they don’t have to concern themselves with eating healthy as long as they take a prenatal vitamin. This is not true.
The goal of prenatal vitamins is to supplement a nutritious diet, not to replace it. In fact, prenatal vitamins work better when you are eating a balanced diet that includes a variety of nutritious foods.
Prenatal vitamins don’t cover all of a pregnant person’s nutritional needs. For example, a pregnant person needs about 1,200 mg to 1,500 mg of calcium a day. However, most prenatal vitamins only contain 250 mg. The rest should come from foods or an additional supplement.
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What Is Dha And When Should I Choose A Prenatal Containing Dha
DHA stands for the omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and it is not found in every prenatal. It is important for developing healthy nerves and eyes in your baby. The major source of DHA is fish.
Vegetarians may find it difficult to consume enough fish and enough DHA, and many individuals worry about the levels of mercury consumed with fish. In these instances, a prenatal containing DHA may be beneficial. If you are unsure about your need for this fatty acid, consult your doctor to discuss your concerns.
Rapid development of the nerves and eyes occurs in the second half of pregnancy . Based on this, supplementation of omega-3 fatty acids, especially DHA, is thought to be more important later in pregnancy.20
How Prenatal Vitamins Help You Get Pregnant In 2021
Okay guys, I tried to keep it short so that I could give you a quick answer on whether prenatals can help you get pregnant faster but it turned into this article that covers pretty much all you need to know about prenatals when youre planning to have a baby!
This is a MUST read if youre trying to get pregnant as it covers everything from the different ingredients, to when you should start taking them, their benefits, and which brands are best.
And, as always here on Storkacademy you get my unfiltered, scientific opinion. Because I may be a scientist, but Im also just a 30-something year old who actively remembers how stressful it was to frantically compare brands and ingredients, trying to decide if that $50 bottle of prenatals would be significantly better than the $3 version I have sitting in my kitchen cabinet.
If youre trying to conceive youre probably aware that prenatal vitamins are crucial in protecting the health of your baby. But hey, youre not pregnant yet. So theres no baby to protect yet, right?
Well, prenatal vitamins do a lot more than just protect your baby. Prenatal vitamins are crucial for your fertility too!
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What Should You Be Wary Of When Taking A Prenatal Vitamin
Vitamins are essential nutrients that keep the body healthy, but it is possible to have too much of a good thing, cautions Shepherd, who recommends that her patients consult with their doctor and purchase supplements from a reputable sourcenot all supplements are created equal, after all. DuBoises motivation to make a clean prenatal vitamin was driven by the fact that the supplement industry is largely unregulated, and its possible that common vitamins on the market can contain cheap, toxic fillers and are manufactured with chemical solvents. Its terrifying for the average person, but even scarier while pregnant! says DuBoise. The bottom line is: Before you take any prenatal supplements, discuss them with your doctor, and do your research
The Good The Bad And The Ugly
If you have decided to start taking a prenatal vitamin, there are some things you should know. Weve said it before, and well say it again: prenatals are great and super important for your health and the health of your baby. Its been shown that taking prenatal vitamins can significantly reduce infant morbidity and mortality, and all the vitamins and minerals youre taking are creating the brain, spinal cord, bones, and teeth of your mini-me.
So, what could possibly be the bad or the ugly? Its unlikely, but prenatals can also bring negative side such as constipation or nausea. If youre worried about any negative effects, you can learn how to manage them here.
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What Nutrients Should I Look For In A Prenatal Vitamin
Prenatal vitamins are all different, and some are higher quality than others. When looking for a prenatal vitamin, the most important thing is to choose a prenatal vitamin that contains all the nutrients you and your baby need to support a healthy pregnancy. Look for a prenatal vitamin that contains vitamin B9 in the form of folate, iron, vitamin B6, iodine, calcium, vitamin B12, vitamin D, and choline.
How To Choose A Prenatal Vitamin
Its up to you and your health care provider to make sure you choose a prenatal supplement that is safe and appropriate for you. Your practitioner will probably recommend that you start taking a prenatal vitamin, either a prescription one or an over-the-counter brand, at your first prenatal checkup. Unless your physician recommends it, do not take any other vitamin or mineral supplement while you are taking a prenatal supplement.
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Do Prenatals Improve Chances Of Pregnancy And Boost Fertility
Will prenatal vitamins make you more likely to get pregnant? Find out by reading our detailed guide and get tips to improve your chances of conception naturally.
Youve likely already heard a lot about prenatals, and thats because taking a daily prenatal vitamin is so important for your already developing baby. So you know that theyre good for youbut what goes in a prenatal vitamin? And can prenatals improve your chances of getting pregnant?
General Benefits Offered By Prenatal Vitamins
Women who want to become pregnant, the expecting mothers and those who already gave birth need prenatal vitamins because:
- They help transport the oxygen in blood for the mother and baby.
- They reduce the risk of giving birth to a baby with neural tube defects.
- They help to the proper formation of DNA for the future baby.
- They prevent the loss of bone density.
- They cover the nutritional deficiencies that the pregnant woman may have.
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Disadvantages Of Taking Prenatal Vitamins When Not Pregnant
So what could be the bad part of taking prenatal vitamins if youre not pregnant or trying to conceive?
Prenatal vitamins are specific are formulated to make up the common nutritional deficiencies you experience during pregnancy and breastfeeding. But they arent reallyyy intended for or optimized if youre not pregnant or breastfeedingFor example, taking too much folic acid each day can have the adverse side effect of masking a vitamin B-12 deficiency. Excess iron can be a problem and is associated with health problems like constipation, nausea, and diarrhea.
Also, quality is an important consideration when selecting a prenatal vitamins becausehe FDA is not required to review dietary supplements for safety and effectiveness before they are marketed to consumers. In 2015, the New York State Attorney Generals office investigated top-selling supplements at leading retailers like Target and Walgreens and found that four out of five of the products didnt contain the ingredients listed on the label.
We recommended using Labdoor as a resource that offers you more insight into prenatal vitamin quality. After performing a chemical analysis of a supplement in an FDA-approved lab, Labdoor produces a quality score for the product. Also, we always recommend consulting your primary care provider when selecting a prenatal vitamin.
Don’t Forget These Other Sperm
These other fertility foods may also belong on the menu when you’re trying to conceive:
- Oysters. Were not sure if oysters are an aphrodisiac, but we do know that their zinc content pumps up the production of sperm and testosterone. If your partners not a fan, he can get his share of zinc from lean beef, poultry, dairy, nuts or eggs, though oysters have the highest concentration of this nutrient.
- Fruits and veggies. Produce is rich in the vitamins that can help protect sperm from cellular damage. He can get folate from leafy greens men who dont get enough of this B vitamin tend to have sperm with abnormal chromosomes. Citrus fruits, tomatoes and berries provide vitamin C, which can boost sperm quality. Carrots, red peppers and apricots have lots of vitamin A, which keeps sperm from getting sluggish. Sweet potatoes are rich in all three folate, A and C!
- Pomegranate juice may up sperm count and quality, per some animal studies. While it remains to be seen if it has the same effects on humans, you can always try swapping out the usual morning glass of OJ.
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Prenatal Vitamins Vs A Regular Multivitamin
Prenatals are tailored to the right quality and quantity for pregnant women and women trying to conceive. Certain vitamins are fat soluble and are stored for long periods of time. These stores can therefore be ‘overloaded’ with normal multivitamins, and vitamin A for example, can actually be toxic to the baby at high levels. Prenatal supplements also contain specific ingredients to assist with the healthy development of a baby, for example Folic Acid.
Below is an example of some of the differences in nutrients you may find in a women’s multivitamin compared with a prenatal vitamin:
| Vitamin or Mineral |
| 38% more |
Prenatals: Boosting Your Chances Of Getting Pregnant
Okay, so youre ready to have a baby and want to know how to get pregnant ASAP.
Besides using ovulation predictor kits and making sure you know when your fertile window is, what else can you do to get there faster?
Well, thats where prenatals come in!
Perhaps the first study to seriously look into fertility and the use of prenatal vitamins is a large Hungarian study from 1996.1 Almost 8,000 women participated in this study and results are definitely promising: women who took prenatal multivitamins had higher odds of conceiving and do so faster.
The researchers show that women who were trying to get pregnant and were given a multivitamin with 800 micrograms of folic acid managed to conceive 71.3% of the time. And those 71.3% got pregnant at some point within 14 months.
In the same study, another group of women did not receive a prenatal multivitamin. Instead, they were given a placebo-like trace element supplement containing only copper, manganese, zinc and vitamin C, but no folic acid and no other vitamins. In this group, 67.9% got pregnant.
We know that 1 in 8 couples struggle to conceive, thats 12.5%! If youve been trying to get pregnant and havent had any luck so far, taking a prenatal could be really important. So lets take a look at the evidence of taking prenatal vitamins among women with fertility problems.
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Try Not To Worry Too Much
Studies show that extreme stress can lower your chances of getting pregnant by causing hormone levels to go haywire and decreasing cervical mucus. Were talking about high anxiety here not run-of-the-mill frustrations like a demanding boss or tantrum-ing toddler.
But even if youre not at freak-out levels, it cant hurt to keep your nerves in check by avoiding work overloads, hitting a yoga or Zumba class, listening to music or venting to your partner or a sympathetic pal. Another plus to finding time for R& R now: Once you do make and deliver a baby, me time will be a whole lot harder to nab.
Prenatals: Doubling Pregnancy Rates In Women With Pcos
What about women with known fertility issues? PCOS is a common disorder that affects about 1 in 10 women. It often goes undiagnosed until youre at that WTF, why am I not pregnant yet-visit at your doctors.
Do prenatals work for women with PCOS as well? We saw that it benefited women with irregular cycles a lot, and as thats often one of the key signs of PCOS, it wouldnt be a big surprise to find out it helps PCOS ladies too.
And thats exactly what a study from the United Kingdom found.4 Most of the enrolled women had subfertility due to ovulation issues, often because of PCOS. And because of the ovulation issues, the doctors had to induce ovulation using the popular ovulation-inducing-drug Clomid .
After 3 months, women who took a prenatal got pregnant much faster and more often than women who only took folic acid ! So yes two thirds of these women got pregnant in just 3 months after being on Clomid and taking a prenatal, compared to just a little over 1 out of 3 who took *only* folic acid. While folic acid is one of the most important ingredient in your prenatal, its probably best to stick to actual prenatals rather than buying a supplement that only contains folic acid.
Thats a pretty big difference! It goes to show that while there are meds your doctor prescribes that can help you ovulate, your body may still need a little extra help. And thats where these simple over the counter vitamins can come in handy.
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Cut Down Your Caffeine Intake And Cut Out Other Vices
Theres a whole host of studies showing that too much caffeine and alcohol can derail your campaign to conceive. So if you really want to get pregnant soon, limit your caffeine intake to about 200 milligrams per day which is the equivalent of about two cups of coffee.
But cut out alcohol altogether it can do a number on both female and male fertility. And though it probably goes without saying, nix nicotine now if you havent already. It can cause major cell damage to your eggs and increase the chances of miscarriage once you do get pregnant.
Protect Your Pregnancy Before You Conceive
Many women know they need to take extra care of their health during pregnancy. But if you know you want to try to have a baby, its a good idea for you and your partner to start making some changes about 6 months before you actually get pregnant.
That creates the foundation for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby, says Sherry Ross, MD, an OB/GYN at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, CA.
Go through this to-do list as youre getting your body ready for baby.
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Can You Take Prenatal Vitamins If Youre Not Pregnant
One of the top questions on a patients mind is: Can you take prenatal vitamins if youre not pregnant?
If youre planning to get pregnant you can start taking folic acid supplements. Half of the United States pregnancies are unplanned, so prenatals can protect your pregnancy from complications, as some defects can appear in the early stages of the pregnancy.
However, if you dont want to get pregnant, its best to follow a healthy diet and get the nutrients you need from food. Prenatals can cause adverse effects if you take more than you need to.
Eu Natural Conception Female Fertility Prenatal
EU Natural offers a female fertility prenatal vitamin formula. The company says that this supplement will help balance hormones and regulate the menstrual cycle.
These supplements contain several vitamins and minerals, including folate, myo-inositol, and zinc. EU Natural states that the supplement can start working within weeks but is most effective after about 5 months or more of use.
EU Natural CONCEPTION Female Fertility Prenatal supplements are vegan and free from additives.
The company does not disclose how it tests its products, but it states that it makes the supplements in FDA-approved facilities to ensure quality and safety.
Individuals can order up to a 6-month supply of this supplement. Joining EU Naturals wellness club can reduce the price.
- maintaining a moderate weight
- taking supplements with folic acid for at least 1 month before trying to conceive and throughout the pregnancy
- talking with their doctor about an action plan to include other healthy lifestyle adjustments
A person who is finding it difficult to conceive may benefit from ART. ART methods, which include in vitro fertilization , usually involve surgically removing eggs from a female and fertilizing them with sperm in a laboratory. Afterward, doctors implant the fertilized egg into the person who will carry the fetus.
Success rates for ART vary depending on several factors, including:
- a persons age
- the number of embryos implanted
- history of previous births, pregnancy losses, and ART use
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