pre-conception vitamins - do I need more than folic acid?

[MoreThanChocolate]

TIA for your opinions/info on this.

I have two different brands of pre-conception vitamins here (a pack I will finish tomorrow and one I'll start the day after). Decided to compare the ingredients...

They both include the recommended folic acid. But the other things they contain vary quite a bit between the two brands and many levels are over the rda.

I don't know the reason for this and my doctor says I only need the folic acid.

Have I been taken in by the marketing of these products and my desire for a healthy baby?

The Folic acid is the most important, but other vitamins might help to boost fertility. I think calcium is important too. The doses are higher than usual because there has to be enough for yourself and a growing baby.
I'm taking pregnacare at the moment.

I'm seeing my GP this week and amongst other things will be discussing this with them, I'll report back what I find

The GP will generally only recomend folic acid because that is the one that has been researched and is known to have a benefit.
With everything else I have been told that not enough specific research has been done.
None of which has ever stopped me taking pre-natal vits to boost fertility and then a more complete multi-vit when pregnant. Maybe I am a sucker but as I often don't eat too well when pregnant it makes me feel better.

with all respect to your GP, he/she has probably only had about 5 mins worth of training in nutrition.
Vits and minerals are involved in hundreds of metabolic and enzymatic reactions in the body. Our foods nowadays aren't nutritionally complete, and grown in depleted soils lacking in many keu nutrients.
RDA levels are there to PREVENT disease, such as scurvy. Not to promote optimal health.
I would alwats take a multivit and a fish oil, minimum. Your requirements for all these things increase dramatically when preg..

I take Sanatogen Multivits + folic acid, they seem to work for me as my diet probably isn't the best

Pregnacare here as i know my diet isnt great.

i went to a naturopath and she gave me biocare mutlivits and two different oils. all high grade and way over the rda and i have to say I feel much better and have much better skin too since i have been taking them!

Well I had the appointment with my GP today and she did recommend folic acid and iron tablets. We discussed other pre-pregnancy tablets and even though she wasn't recommending them, she did say they wouldn't hurt and could help. She also said that the folic acid and iron tablets need to be taken for the first three months of pregnancy only and not for the three months before you start TTC (which is what I thought) None the less, you would still need to start taking them when you start TTC, to make sure they were in your system as soon as you fell pregnant, rather than wait until you knew you were pregnant and risk missing a few weeks IYSWIM?

As some of you have said, the extra vits can help to make you feel better, so I think I shall probably do the same!

I'm going for Folic Acid and Vitamin B complex (as apparently many people don't get enough and like Folic Acid (which is a B vitamin) prevents spina bifida etc.

My GP said to start 3 months before TTC! You think they'd have some consistency!

Yes you would wouldn't you! I think I'll start taking them 3 months before too, as I was going to {smile]

I took Pregnacare when I was pg but not until 9 or 10 weeks (unplanned pg). My daughter is fine but it can't hurt to start the vitamins earlier.

To maximise absorption of iron, you need to take it with vitamin C as the body can't retain iron very well, so taking it with orange juice or similar combines the two jobs very nicely .