Myths and Realities of Prenatal Vitamins

If you have ever been pregnant, you will remember the enormous vitamin pills we were required to take. If you were like me, you also had to take extra iron as well. The taste of these vitamins the first time around made me sick to my stomach. The second time, they didn’t taste that bad. It could have been a different vitamin than I took during my first pregnancy, or it could have been because I just didn’t have morning sickness with my second child. Prenatal vitamins are a hot topic these days and many are talking about the benefits of using them before you get pregnant. The reasoning is that they may help prevent some birth defects. Doctors are recommending women take them throughout her pregnancy and while breast-feeding to prevent any vitamin or mineral shortage.

Prenatal vitamins are getting much attention and there is a lot of information about their purpose and dosage needed that is false and misleading. There are several myths floating around that need to be corrected and I will try to do that in this article.

Myth number one is that taking prenatal vitamins will be enough for you no matter what is in your diet. This is not true, prenatal vitamins are meant to supplement your diet and will work better if you are already eating a healthy diet that includes various foods. Also, there are some shortages in some prenatal vitamins. Calcium is one example of a daily requirement that isn’t in a prenatal vitamin. A pregnant woman needs from 1200 to 1500 mg of calcium a day to help her baby grow and meet her needs. A prenatal vitamin usually only has about 250 mg of calcium.

Another popular myth is that all prenatal vitamins are alike. Again, that isn’t true. Recent studies reveal that only three out of nine prescription vitamins released failed to release the folate they said they contained. The body may not have absorbed it if the vitamin did have the recommended daily requirement.

Myth number three is that prescription vitamins are better than nonprescription vitamins to use as prenatal vitamins. Many vitamins that are prescribed can also be found over-the-counter. Not all vitamins are created the same and the most important thing is how well the vitamins are absorbed by your body. Doctors sometimes will prescribe prescription vitamins so health insurance companies will pick up the cost.

When you are looking into which prenatal vitamin is right for you, talk to your doctor about which ones they recommend. There are some important facts to keep in mind when choosing prenatal vitamins. No vitamin will provide you with all the calcium your body will need. Too much iron in a vitamin may not be absorbed properly and could cause constipation. If you consume too much vitamin A it can cause birth defects such as spina bifida. Be sure you use a multivitamin with under 10,000 IU of vitamin A.

If the taste or the texture of your prenatal vitamin bothers you or makes you sick, try switching brands. Huge strides have been made in the taste, texture, and size of prenatal vitamins in the last 35 years.