I'll add my two pennies here. I've only started TTC for the first time ever this month. However, much like the impatient woman in the Impatient Woman's. Guide to Getting Pregnant - I've researched TTC and early pregnancy and in utero feral development for a long time now.
I am not a doctor, but I am a university researcher by profession, so my academic research skills have really come on use in this research and allowed me to access and make sense of the vast piles of information out there, and sift out serious from the non serious.
So here's what I have concluded -
- A healthy balanced diet should provide our vitamins, however, the modern diet is not uniformly healthy nor our lifestyles uniformly capable of sustaining this all the time.
- Certain nutrients are very key to the pre-conception stage. Folate or folic acid, needless to say. Calcium to build up calcium reserves to prevent osteoporosis in the mother (which unless you are consuming 4 servings of calcium products daily is a hard one to net). Iron to build iron reserves. Vitamin D in which we are most of us deficient, which has numerous roles, hormonal to bone health to preventing depression. EPA/DHA otherwise called omega 3 which are bodies cannot make and which again are key, and hard to get unless you are religiously eating two portions of wild, oily fish each week.
- In addition to this core set, pre concpetion also needs healthy bits of very micro nutrients like selenium (yes eating Brazil nut everyday will get you this), choline (found richly in egg yolks), zinc (for both men and women) and healthy amounts of vitamin A from beta carotene (red and yellow vegetables).
Now, I strive to eat a healthy diet, and have done so for a long while now. This has meant ensuring the diet is based on whole carbs, colourful spectrum of vegetables, clean good quality protein, organic dairy etc. but I have also concluded from my research into this, that a high quality multi nutrient supplement designed specifically for women of child bearing age is a good insurance policy. In addition, I am dark skinned and my vitamin D status was appalling at one time.
So both me and my DH, in addition to a healthy diet have had pre conception vitamins, and a good quality fish oil for EPA/DHA for the last year and a half. Our overall health has significantly improved, skin and hair has improved for me, and I recently had bloodwork done before we started TTC and basic vitamin/nutrient profiles were optimum (not just in the range but optimum).
The vitamin we have been on is Pregnacare Conception His and Hers plus a fish oil (Higher Nature for him and Nordic Naturals Prenatal DHA for me). We have started TTC this month, because I did want to put in at least a year of prep into nutrient reserves and diet, and if and when I conceive, I will move over to a staged pregnancy supplement, and much as I dislike various things about Zita West, her Vital Essence has struck me to be a good buy as it also includes calcium.
I've discussed this with at least a couple of doctors, and they concur it is a good way to go. But nothing can deny that a good diet is the key resource. I hope you find a supplement that suits you, if and when!