Prenatal Vitamin Uses

What Are Prenatal Vitamins Used For?

Prenatal vitamins are used to fill in any nutritional gaps in a pregnant woman's diet. Even women who attempt to eat nutritional and well-balanced diets may be prone to having nutritional gaps during pregnancy, due to food aversions, morning sickness, and other problems.

 

Prenatal vitamins are also useful for breastfeeding women and women trying to conceive. Because it is important to get enough folic acid prior to pregnancy and during early pregnancy (including the early weeks before it is even possible to know if you are pregnant), your healthcare provider may recommend that you take a prenatal vitamin while trying to get pregnant. In fact, because unplanned pregnancies are so common, it is a good idea for any sexually active woman of reproductive age to take a prenatal vitamin (or at least a multivitamin with a minimum of 400 mcg of folic acid).

 

Should I Take Other Vitamins Too?

In general, prenatal vitamins contain some calcium, but not nearly enough. Calcium is a bulky mineral, and including enough calcium would make prenatal vitamins much too large to swallow. Also, calcium is best taken two or three times a day, not all in one dose. Depending on your dietary intake of calcium, it may be a good idea for you to take extra calcium (in addition to your prenatal vitamin) during pregnancy.

 

Do not take any additional vitamins without first talking to your healthcare provider. Taking too much of certain vitamins can cause problems during pregnancy.