When Should You Stop Taking Prenatal Vitamins
King says if youre not breastfeeding your child, its okay to switch back to a daily multivitamin after birth.
If youre breastfeeding, its encouraged to continue taking prenatal vitamins until you stop breastfeeding to keep taking in nutrients that provide benefits for both you and your baby.
But, King adds, if you choose to switch back to your daily multivitamin while breastfeeding, thats okay, too. You want to make sure youre optimizing your nutrition since youre providing those nutrients to the baby. As long as youre getting the appropriate amount of those vitamins and nutrients, thats whats most important.
When To Consider Making The Switch
We recommend switching to our Essential Prenatal when pregnant, thinking about getting pregnant, or actively trying for a baby. A good rule to shoot for is three months ahead, so that people can be already taking a prenatal multivitamin during the early weeks of pregnancy . Outside of pregnancy needs, we recommend sticking with Essential for Women unless otherwise directed by a doctor, since it was specifically formulated to help fill gaps that many women experience in their diets. Lets talk about biotin as an example: Many women can meet their biotin needs through diet alone, since its found in a wide range of foods like eggs, avocado, beef, and yeast.*
Recently gave birth? Then consider making a different multivitamin switchfrom a prenatal multivitamin to a postnatal multivitamin. The truth is nutrient demands change again after birth, especially if breastfeeding. Our Essential Postnatal was formulated with 15 nutrients to support postpartum nutrition for 6 months .*
Why Do I Need To Take A Prenatal Before Im Pregnant
A prenatal vitamin can help you build up your nutrient stores before you conceive. This is so important! You want to build up stores of your nutrients, especially iron and folate, before getting pregnant.
Folate is an important B vitamin that baby needs for healthy spinal cord development and prevention of neural-tube defects. This is essential during the first 4 weeks of pregnancy. I recommend supplementing with 500-800 mcg of folate per day, depending on your dietary intake .
Taking a prenatal before pregnancy ensures your baby is getting all the necessary nutrients from the first moments of his or her life. It also ensures your body has the nutrients to support every stage of your babys development no matter how balanced or nutrient-dense your diet is or isnt .
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Are There Any Extra Benefits
Some celebs swear by prenatals as the secret to their glowing skin and luscious locks because they contain biotin, one of the all-important B vitamins.
And rumors of biotins hair, nail, and skin growth powers have circulated forever many people take biotin supplements for this exact reason.
However, one study after another has failed to prove any significant beauty benefits to taking biotin, leaving the evidence to fall strictly in the anecdotal camp.
Besides biotin, though, there are some extra benefits to prenatals. If you take one with DHA, for example, youll be getting a boost of omega-3 fatty acids that may help your babys brain and eyes develop.
You may also get thyroid-regulating iodine, which can aid in your babys nervous system development.
Finally, theres some research indicating that taking prenatal vitamins may increase your chances of pregnancy.
To be clear, prenatals are not a magic cure for infertility problems and getting pregnant isnt as simple as popping a pill. But many of the nutrients included in prenatal vitamins regulate the body systems responsible for making pregnancy possible.
So taking one when done in conjunction with exercising, eating a healthy diet, and eliminating risk factors like alcohol and drugs can make it easier to get pregnant more quickly.
There are dozens of options out there, but make sure you check for a few key things before buying a prenatal vitamin:
What Are The Different Types Of Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins typically contain folic acid , calcium, iron, iodine, zinc, and vitamins A, E, and C. The ingredients in prenatal vitamins vary depending on the product. Your doctor will recommend the right type of prenatal vitamin or prenatal supplement based on your specific needs.
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Schedule Your Appointment Today
Taking prenatal vitamins and following a healthy diet can lead to a healthy pregnancy and support your babys growth. There are various prenatals to choose from, but Dr. Ellman will be happy to find a prenatal vitamin that works best for your body.
Dr. Ellman is a high-risk OB/GYN doctor who established his medical practice in South Florida over 25 years ago. Book your appointment today.
References
Folic Acid Helps Prevent Some Birth Defects. .
Shmerling, R. H. & Shmerling, A. . Fertility and diet: Is there a connection? Wilson, D., et al. . Pre-conception Folic Acid and Multivitamin Supplementation for the Primary and Secondary Prevention of Neural Tube Defects and Other Folic Acid-Sensitive Congenital Anomalies .
What Is The Difference Between Prenatal Vitamins And Regular Vitamins
Though prenatal vitamins and regular vitamins work the same way to provide your body with micronutrients that it may be lacking there are some key differences between the two, specifically when it comes to ingredients. For example, as an article on Mom.com explains, there is a specific amount of folic acid and iron that pregnant people are supposed to have in their diet. A prenatal vitamin ensures that those exact levels are met, whereas a regular multivitamin might have some amount of folic acid or iron, but necessarily enough to meet the threshold recommended for pregnant people.
As always, it’s important that you consult a health care provider or family physician prior to taking any over-the-counter medication or starting a vitamin regimen. After all, what works for one body does not work for all. But if you do have lingering questions about taking prenatal vitamins when you’re not pregnant, here’s what you need to know:
Prenatal vitamins may help your skin and nails, but its likely that any type of vitamin with the same nutrients would be just as beneficial.
Kipping says that more than 90 percent of women arent meeting their choline needs, and 50 percent are critically deficient in vitamin D. Since fetal organs start to develop in the first couple months of pregnancy, often before some women even realize theyre pregnant, its important to give your body the nutrition it needs ahead of time.
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What About Other Extra Vitamins
A prenatal vitamin includes all the vitamins and minerals a pregnant woman needs. Taking too many vitamins or minerals may harm your baby. For example, large doses of vitamin A may cause birth defects.
Stay safe. If you took special supplements before you got pregnant, don’t take them now unless your doctor approves.
There is one supplement you may want to ask your doctor about even though it is included in most PNV. Omega-3 fatty acids may help your baby’s brain develop. If you don’t eat fish high in omega-3s your doctor may recommend an omega-3 supplement.
Show Sources
What You Really Need: Vital Pregnancy Supplements
The researchers said folic acid had the strongest evidence to support its use – taking 400 micrograms a day can protect against abnormalities called neural tube defects in the developing baby. Some groups, including women with a BMI over 30, should get a prescription from their doctor to take a higher dose of 5mg.
Vitamin D – 10 micrograms a day – is recommended for healthy bones in the mother and baby.
Bought together, a month’s supply of these two pills will typically set you back around £3, and some women can get them for free on the Healthy Start scheme.
Tommy’s midwife Sophie says:
“We know that having a balanced, varied diet and appropriately sized meal portions will contain almost all of the nutrients and vitamins that their bodies need for a healthy pregnancy. We want mums to know that they do not need to spend a lot of money on unnecessary supplements when these can naturally be found in the fresh food that they buy.”
Find out more about why folic acid and Vitamin D are such important supplements to take in pregnancy.
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Can You Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins During Pregnancy
Sometimes life throws you some real curveballs â and getting pregnant unexpectedly or sooner than expected fits that bill.
However, just because it’s advised you start taking prenatal vitamins before conception doesn’t mean that the ship has sailed if you’re reading this and already pregnant.
If you’re still in the early stages of your pregnancy bringing folic acid, or methylated folate, into your daily diet is recommended.
Plus, your body is going to continue needing an increased level of iron and other vitamins and minerals throughout the full nine months that you’re growing your baby, which prenatal vitamins can provide.
And, taking iodine supplements for the duration of your pregnancy is encouraged.
According to the National Health and Medical Research Council, pregnant women should be having 220mg of iodine a day, and 270mg when breastfeeding.
This important mineral is one of the 12 essential ingredients included in Kin’s Prenatal.
Dont Forget These Other Sperm
These other fertility foods may also belong on the menu when youre 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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Is Taking Prenatal Vitamins When Not Pregnant Harmful 6 Facts
Pregnant woman relaxes in a bathub of water, laying on her side-pxhere
Teenage girl doing research online for information about vitamins, with mother helping her-pxhere
An assortment of colorful gummy vitamins-pxhere
Is taking prenatal vitamins when not pregnant harmful? prenatal vitamins are dietary nutrients for a womans nutritional and vitamin needs while pregnant.
The vitamin and mineral levels in prenatal vitamins are the same as those in regular multivitamins, However, the doses are larger during pregnancy since the body demands more medicine.
Important Vitamins And Minerals Before Conceiving:
- Folic acid is most important before conceiving, and in the early stages of pregnancy. This is when the bulk of neural tube formation occurs.
- Zinc, vitamin D and iron are often deficient in adults and are useful in increasing fertility, so likewise, these would be very beneficial before conceiving to increase your chances of success as well as contribute to producing a healthy baby.
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What Is A Prenatal Vitamin
A prenatal vitamin is a blend of supplemental vitamins and minerals crafted to meet the needs of women who are pregnant or could become pregnant. Prenatal multivitamins can provide reliable nutrition in vital areassupporting babys healthy development as well as moms prenatal wellness. Prenatals provide peace of mind that your body is getting the right foundational support at such an important time.
The Truth About Prenatal Vitamins Do You Really Need Them
If youre researching prenatal vitamins, Im guessing youre either pregnant or planning to be pregnant and thats exciting!
Quite likely youve already been advised to get yourself to a pharmacy for some prenatal vitamins. But, what is the truth about pregnancy supplements?
You may be wondering, is it all just a marketing ploy? or are these companies using science and fear to encourage me to buy their product?! Read on to learn a bit more.
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What Is The Purpose Of Prenatal Vitamins
The short answer is that prenatal vitamins ensure the mother and the baby are as healthy as possible. They help to reduce the risk of complications during pregnancy, congenital disabilities, and vitamin deficiencies that can lead to more severe conditions for both the mother and the baby, either during or after pregnancy.
What Theyre Saying:
Prenatal supplements packed with nutrients are an unnecessary expense, the researchers wrote.
Pregnant women may be vulnerable to messages about giving their baby the best start in life, regardless of cost, they wrote.The marketing of such products does not appear to be supported by evidence of improvement in child or maternal outcomes.
The trade group that represents supplement makers disagreed, pointing out that pregnant moms need to be sure theyre getting a slew of nutrients beyond those the researchers studied, including calcium, iodine, and protein. The group, the Council for Responsible Nutrition, said dissuading mothers-to-be from taking supplements like those sold by some of its member companies could lead to serious repercussions.
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What Are The Side
common side effectsprenatal vitamins
- Hair loss. Ironically, even though women often take prenatal vitamins while they arent pregnant, the women who take prenatals for the long-term actually report hair loss in the long run. The reason some pregnant women experience a boost in hair growth is because of their hormonal changes, not the prenatal vitamins they are taking.
- Vitamin B12 deficiency. Prenatals contain more folate and iron than the average multivitamin to combat anemia. Getting too much iron, and especially folate can end up masking and even aggravating a B12 deficiency. Missing out on a B12 deficiency diagnosis can lead to fatigue and other long-term problems.
- Calcium and Vitamin D. Prenatals do not have enough calcium or vitamin D to meet your daily recommended intake. This can have several unintended consequences, not the least of which is osteoporosis and depression.
- Liver Damage. Because iron intake is higher when taking prenatal vitamins, you can end up with a relatively minor symptom, like constipation. Or you can end up with a more severe condition, such as liver damage, from taking too much iron in the long-term.
Symptoms Of Vitamin Overdose:
Symptoms of vitamin overdose also include symptoms that are a part of normal pregnancy. If you suspect a vitamin overdose, note changes in your pregnancy symptoms that might be explained by the excessive vitamins.
Symptoms of a vitamin overdose may include but are not limited to the following:
- Cloudy urine
- Muscle, joint, or bone pain
- Yellow-orange tint to the skin
- Sensitivity to the sun
- Eye irritation or sensitivity to light
- Cracking lips
If you think you may have overdosed on a multivitamin or supplement, it is important to contact a medical professional immediately. Do not make yourself vomit unless instructed to do so by a health care professional.Before calling, be prepared to answer the following questions:
- What is your individuals age, weight, and condition?
- What is the name of the product?
- What time was the product taken?
- How much was taken?
You can call the National Poison Control Centers 24-hour helpline at 1-800-222-1222. It does not need to be an emergency to call. You are welcome to call for any question or concern related to overdosing or poisoning.
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What Form Of Prenatal Vitamin Is Best
There are a variety of types of prenatal vitamins you can choose from and it doesnt matter which you take. If you look at an ingredients list comparing tablets, capsules and even gummies, the components will be pretty similar, King says.
Checking the ingredients is important, too, to make sure youre getting everything you need. Most gummies dont contain iron, King says, since young children may try to snag some thinking theyre candy and too much iron is dangerous for children.
