What are prenatal vitamins?
Prenatal vitamins are supplements that contain all the vitamins and minerals you need throughout pregnancy and beyond. Some prenatal vitamins can be taken while trying for a baby and continued into pregnancy, while others just help to give your body a boost and aid conception.
What are the benefits of prenatal vitamins?
Despite your best efforts at eating healthily, during pregnancy you may find that your body falls short of key nutrients. Prenatal vitamins help to up your nutrient levels and ensure that your baby is developing as they should. For example, taking folic acid reduces the risk of serious neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Many of our top recommended prenatal vitamins are widely available online, in supermarkets or chemists, so it should be easy enough to stock up at the same time as your weekly shop or picking up other pregnancy essentials such as haemorrhoid cream.
We’ve trawled expert review sites and the Mumsnet forums to find out which prenatal vitamins our users recommend.
When should I start taking a prenatal vitamin and for how long?
Eggs mature inside your body about three months before they are released into the womb, so you might like to start taking prenatal vitamins three months before you start trying for a baby.
But if the pregnancy was unplanned, or spur of the moment, don’t worry - just start taking them as soon as you find out you’re pregnant.
You should take folic acid every day from before you're pregnant right up until 12 weeks of pregnancy. It’s also recommended that you take a daily vitamin D supplement right through to the end of your pregnancy. Some prenatal vitamins are also designed for use in the post-birth months to support breastfeeding or just give you natural energy boost. (On the subject of post-birth, don't miss our guide to the best pelvic floor trainer)
Prenatal vitamins can be found in your local pharmacy, health food shop or online retailers such as Amazon – but always speak to your doctor if you’re concerned you’re not getting enough vitamins, or have suffered from vitamin deficiency in the past.
What happens if you don't take prenatal vitamins while pregnant?
Folic acid is by far the most important vitamin to take during pregnancy. Folic acid can help prevent birth defects, known as neural tube defects, including spina bifida (where the bones of the spine don't form correctly around the spinal cord) and anencephaly (where part of the brain, skull and scalp don't form properly).
Prenatal vitamins can help to boost your overall health, but these should not be a substitute for a healthy diet.
How do I choose a prenatal vitamin?
Whether you’re pregnant or trying to get pregnant, there are a number of things you should consider when choosing a prenatal vitamin.
Folic acid
It can’t be stressed enough how important it is to get the correct dose of folic acid. The NHS recommends taking 400 micrograms of folic acid a day while trying to conceive and for the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, as the first trimester is when your baby's neural tube develops and defects may occur. Most prenatal supplements will contain the recommended 400mcg of folic acid.
However, you will need a higher dose of folic acid if you have a child or close relative with a neural tube defect such as spina bifida (or if you or your partner do), if you have diabetes, take anti-epilepsy medicine or take antiretroviral medicine for HIV. If any of these apply to you, your doctor will write you a prescription for a higher dose of folic acid.
You can also get more folic acid into your diet through eating lots of green leafy vegetables, nuts, beans, fortified cereals, and citrus fruits, but it’s difficult to get all the folic acid you need from food alone, so it’s worth taking a supplement too.
Vitamin D
The second most important ingredient in prenatal supplements is vitamin D. According to the NHS, you need 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Our bodies make vitamin D when our skin is exposed to summer sunlight, so it’s particularly important to take vitamin D during the winter months.
Iron
If your iron levels are low, you’ll get very tired and possibly suffer from anaemia. A multivitamin containing iron will help to keep your levels up. This is particularly important if you are a vegetarian, vegan or following a restricted diet for health reasons. Iron helps your blood to carry oxygen to the placenta.
Other important vitamins and minerals
It’s a good idea to invest in a multivitamin that contains calcium, which helps ensure you don’t lose bone density during pregnancy, and vitamin c, which encourages cell production.
Avoid vitamin A
Make sure the multivitamins you buy are suitable for pregnant women. Some other supplements contain things such as the retinol form of vitamin A or fish liver oil, neither of which are suitable during pregnancy.
Dietary requirements
Check whether your chosen multivitamin meets your dietary requirements. Some of the products on our list are vegan-friendly, gluten-free and so on while others aren’t.
Tablets or liquid?
If you struggle to swallow tablets, you may wish to consider an alternative, such as a liquid multivitamin or chewable gummies. A liquid supplement may be a good option if you’re suffering from morning sickness and are struggling to keep anything down.
Pregnancy or pre-pregnancy
Make sure you choose a multivitamin or supplement which is suitable for the stage of your pregnancy journey to ensure you’re getting all the nutrients you need.
Can you take too much folic acid?
No, but taking more than 1mg of folic acid regularly can cover up the symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency, which can damage the nervous system if not spotted and treated. This is particularly important if you’re a vegetarian or vegan, as B12 deficiency is more common.
Should I stop taking folic acid after the first three months of pregnancy?
After three months, your baby’s neural tube will have developed, so you can stop taking folic acid if you'd like to. However, you can keep taking the recommended 400mcg per day, especially if it's part of your chosen prenatal supplement.
What prenatals do doctors recommend?
Every doctor in the land will recommend taking folic acid to help reduce the risk of serious neural tube defects. The neural tube is part of the embryo from which your baby's spine and brain develop, and it's crucial to healthy development.
Your doctor will also recommend taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D each day. But don’t take more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful.
What is the most effective prenatal vitamin?
Mumsnetters recommend Vitabiotics Pregnacare Liquid. Easier on the stomach than the tablet version, this orange-flavoured liquid is the prenatal multivitamin of choice for women with morning sickness and those who struggle to swallow tablets.
What is the best prenatal multivitamin UK?
All prenatal vitamin brands listed here come recommended by Mumsnet parents as well as health experts. What works for one person may not agree with another - so while overall we have selected Vitabiotics Pregnacare for our top spot, we'd also highly rate Seven Seas, Boots Own and Natures Aid to name but a few.