AIBU to not understand why pregnancy supplements are necessary?

[Butterworthbees]

I have never in my life taken supplements for anything and the concept is a bit odd (surely you can get everything you need from food if you eat healthily?) but ttc now and people are telling me I need to take supplements (especially folic acid). Maybe I'm being a tad cynical but doesn't it just give you expensive wee if you are eating a healthy diet! (Obviously supplements are important if you are actually deficient)

I know folate/folic acid is important for prevent NTD but can't you genuinely get enough from food?

Take them before pregnancy if you have taken anti-malarials in the last few months (they tend to strip you of folic acid) and see a doctor if conception is possible when on you anti-malarials (you'll need a higher dose if you want their protective effect, and it's prescription only at that level).

Women on certain classes of anti-epilepsy drug would also be advised to take the higher prescription-only level.

Folic acid tablets on their own are cheap as chips (cheaper actually!)- about £3 for a month's supply. So can't possibly result in "expensive wee".

Just checked- even cheaper- 1.99 for 60 so a pound a month. Cost should not factor in your decision.

I was prescribed Iron during one of my pregnancies, and would highly recommend taking it if you want to get out of hospital fast. I lost quite a bit of blood and so they did a blood test and would only let me go if I wasn't anaemic. Which thanks to the supplements I wasn't.
Folic acid is crucial as already explained.
Vitamin D is lacking in winter in most people in the UK.
I'd also add Calcium especially if morning sickness is a problem, and the consequences of a lack can take a long time to show.

In truth, we don't if the taking of supplements is the reason why the rates of NTD dropped.

They dropped only slightly, this could be because of supplements, or because our nutrition has improved. The reason why we have small numbers of babies being born with NTD, is because of early screening and terminations.

My DD got pregnant, unplanned and was panicking, so we looked it up.

I took supplements, as far back as 1985 and through my pregnancy because of sickness.

Likewise I've taken Menopause Suppliments and they have made a difference to my hair and nails.

I felt a lot better post birth and breastfeeding when I started taking a multi mineral.

Our veg is really low in nutritional value, upto 70% lower than pre 1970, levels, so it's near impossible to eat the recommended levels.

We aren't funding research and statistic gathering, though, do we don't really know what levels are needed, to make a difference.

Both vitamin D and folic acid are important in pregnancy, and you're unlikely to get enough from a normal diet.

I don't normally buy lots of supplements, but this time I've been taking the all inclusive ones as my diet has been dire. Normally my diet is excellent, but you don't know how it'll be in pregnancy.

I feel awful after reading this. I took a boots pregnacare I've got possibly weeks 4/5 but it made me gave awful diarrhea plus I've been so ill. I've only just started again at 9 weeks. Bingo diarrhea again.

Might just look at folic acid on its on. I have a raised BMI should I take extra?

Morning sickness stopped me eating healthy for about the first 16 weeks. Just the thought of vegetables would make me want to throw up. I was glad of the supplements so at least I knew I was getting some vitamins.

*have not gave

I'm so shocked to hear that fruit and veg has lower nutritional content now days!

So basically you can eat all the right things but still be deficient. That's a bit depressing!

Ana I would suggest taking a simple folic acid supplement. The diarrhoea is probably caused by iron, there are other forms of iron which cause less diarrhoea - iron fulmarate for example, and there can be fewer problems if you take iron after a meal and with vitamin C eg. Fruit juice.

I'm guessing that the rule that fruit and veg is grown for appearance is what stuffs up nutrition - it certainly wrecks taste. Also buy in season - just because you can get strawberries in April doesn't mean you should.

Make friends or help someone who grows their own.

I took just folic acid when ttc. Once you are pregnant a standard multivitamin isn't the best option as you may end up having too much vitamin A which is bad for the baby. I switched to a pregnancy vitamin (they have no vitamin A) because I was suffering with terrible nausea and had a bad diet because of it.

A lot of it is a waste of money!
You only need folic acid (£1 for three months supply at supermarket) to reduce risk of neural tube defects.
Once pregnant, if your bmi is over 30 or you are not white, add vitamin D.
Nothing else is routinely required for a healthy woman with a good diet.
(Consultant obstetrician so I do know what I'm talking about!)

It's not expensive wee, it's folic acid/vitamin D you can buy for like £1 in supermarkets to protect your baby from some serious stuff

Iron tablets were vital for me. Was very anaemic by about 16 weeks.

Preg multi vitamins ensure you are getting the correct, exact amounts of the huge variety of vitamins your baby needs. Why even debate not taking them? Can not understand questioning something like this when its completely beneficial and required for your growing babies health. Just take them!!

I agree with pp.

I eat a very healthy diet (no processed food and loads of fresh veg) and when I started taking conception vits, my nails and hair started growing really quickly and my nails became really strong.

It made me realise I was deficient in something, and looking back, I think I'd been deficient for years.

I've read about decreased vitamins and minerals content in fresh veg and meat due to modern mass agricultural methods and soil quality, and I think there's something in it.

And I have to say... I find it worrying that in both my pregnancies, I had low iron despite taking pregnacare every day and eating quite a lot of supposedly iron rich veg and meat.

That's debatable though Belasima. Many doctors believe multivitamins cause more harm than good. Vit D and folic acid are recommended because there's a solid evidence base backing that recommendation up. No such thing for multivitamins.

Butterworthbees, the official advice for foluc acid is to start taking 3 months prior to ttc to build stores as the neural tube development starts before you may even know you are pregnant and to contine for the first trimester. Obviously for those not actvely trying they may not know so to start takung as soon as they do.

For high risk eg those with a family history of spina bifida the dose is much higher (prescription needed) my friend was adviced to take this for 6-12months prior to ttc and to contine to take it through her child bearing years if any chance of falling pregnant by her consultant.

Two supplements you probably do need are vitamin D3 and Folate (absolutely NOT synthetic folic acid which can cause issues for the fairly large chunk of the population who have methylation defects).

D3 is important because most people in the uk are deficient in it and it's very difficult to get enough from food no matter how "healthy your diet".

(Natural) Folate - well you can get enough from diet if you eat a LOT of leafy green stuff, but most people don't... It's not just about Neural tube defects, but also about miscarriage and stillbirth risk too. If you have certain genetic marker (quite common), you need more, and the synthetic type ( folic acid) can actually increase the risk of problems.

You cant get enough folate from food it isnt enough absorbtion i have spina bifida take your supplements its for a short while and will do you know harm

I would also say that it is a bit misleading to say people need to take vit d3 if they are "not white". There's a lot of evidence to suggest people with a Mediterranean heritage synthesise vit d at a slower rate than people of Northern European ancestry, yet I suspect very few people with a Italian or Greek parent would think of themselves as BME.

They are going to add FA to flour in Scotland im not sure if it has come in yet but scottish parliment did pass the bill ScottishSBA has been campaigning for it. Everywoman of childbearing years should be taking a form of folate adult dd takes it daiily