pregnancy multi-vitamins or just folic acid?

[NameChange30]

Hi, newbie to the Conception forum! DH and I would like to start trying for our first baby in January. (Exciting/terrifying!) A few people have advised me to start taking folic acid now. I was wondering whether to get pregnancy multivitamins - do you think they're worth the money? Or should I just take folic acid by itself?
Thanks in advance!

[hanflan]

I took conception vitamins, it's good to get into the habit for when you are pregnant as then you will also need lots of vitamin D as well as folic acid! It depends how good your diet is really. If you are confident your diet is pretty spot on then folic acid is all you need, but no harm in going the whole hog in my opinion! Good luck, hope you get your bfp nice and quickly :)

[hanflan]

p.s. the Boots own brand ones are fab and quite cheap. Take them with a meal though as my pregnancy ones made me feel a bit queasy if I took them on an empty stomach!

[SueBridehead]

Conception vitamins can have some side effects on your cycle and (I think) are often over priced. As long as you have a good and varied diet I would just take folic acid.

[loopylou1984]

Emma - I take pregnacare, they haven't had any effect on the length etc of my cycle, but I second that you should def take them with food, they make me feel quite unwell if I take them on a empty stomach! Good luck, Xx

[NameChange30]

Thank you all for your replies! I think I will take folic acid for now and then in January when we actually start trying I might get one of the "his and hers" conception packs... Our friends took them and got pregnant straight away, it might just be a coincidence but we might as well give them a go.
Hmm diet now that's another thing I need to sort out by January...! I have a massive chocolate habit I need to curb!

[dizzylemon]

My doctor advised taking Vitamin D as well as Folic Acid, but to steer clear of general multivitamins. She said the conception ones were ok, but they're a little pricey imo and my diet is generally good anyway that I don't need to worry about it.

[DizzyNorthernBird]

I'm starting ttc in December. I asked my gp and she said not to worry about supplements until pg, at which point to take folic acid or pregnacare.

I'd quite like to take something though as I work shifts and although I try to eat healthily I'm a bit pants at getting my 5 a day. I'm going to start the seven seas trying for a baby but only because I've seen quite a few comments saying pregnacare mess up cycles. It's taken years for me to fall into a regular ish cycle so I don't want to mess it up now!

[loopylou1984]

Dizzy def start taking folic acid before you are pg. Thats really weird that you dr said that, mine said it was quite important to take folic acid before to prevent birth defects? Xx

[alien11]

I saw my doc this morning re ttc and she asked if I was taking anything and I said yup folic acid since my coil was removed in July and she said that's fantastic as that's very important from when you start ttc