Which Prenatal is the most effective?
I’d like to discuss a few of the processes I take when assisting my patients in selecting prenatals based on quality, safety, cost, and tailored dose.
Choosing a Prenatal Vitamin:
- 1. Keep a daily serving size in mind.
- The container specifies the quantity of pills or capsules to be taken each day. Serving sizes might range from one to six pills per day. This information is critical since consuming less than the minimum recommended amount may raise the risk of birth abnormalities or maternal nutrient deficit, such as anemia. Also, be sure that the daily pill count is appropriate for you.
- Furthermore, taking more supplements than indicated on the bottle is neither better nor safer for you or your kid.
- The container specifies the quantity of pills or capsules to be taken each day. Serving sizes might range from one to six pills per day. This information is critical since consuming less than the minimum recommended amount may raise the risk of birth abnormalities or maternal nutrient deficit, such as anemia. Also, be sure that the daily pill count is appropriate for you.
- 2. Refrain from Choosing a Gummy Option
- Gummy vitamins may be easier to swallow for some people, but several vital components are either absent or delivered at a lower-than-recommended quantity in a gummy multivitamin or prenatal. A gummy vitamin contains no iron at all. Furthermore, critical prenatal nutrients like as DHA, iodine, zinc, and others are insufficient in a gummy.
- 3. Avoid herbal-infused prenatal vitamins.
- Many herbs are not safe to use during pregnancy.
- 4. Think about your own preferences and/or medical needs, such as cultural, religious, or medical demands. There are alternatives.
- Is it necessary for the prenatal to be vegan/vegetarian, kosher, or allergen-free?
- Do you require any special doses or supplements? Gluten intolerance/celiac disease, allergies, bariatric surgery, vegan/vegetarian, anemia, MTHFR, seizure disorder, eating disorder, nutritional insufficiency, spina bifida are a few examples.
- Is it necessary for the prenatal to be vegan/vegetarian, kosher, or allergen-free?
- 5. Compare Prices Keep in mind that some bottles will only last one month, while others will last two to six months. What looks to be a higher cost is sometimes the finest offer!
- 6. Check the label for the following important nutrients:
- Aside from folic acid, expanding research supports the necessity of numerous critical vitamins and minerals in pregnancy, particularly folic acid, omega-3 DHA, choline, iron, Vitamin D, iodine, and vitamin A.
- These six pointers are crucial when sifting among the apparently limitless prenatal alternatives. Now that you’ve gone over the fundamentals, let’s go a little deeper into the ingredients…
- Aside from folic acid, expanding research supports the necessity of numerous critical vitamins and minerals in pregnancy, particularly folic acid, omega-3 DHA, choline, iron, Vitamin D, iodine, and vitamin A.
What Are the Important Nutrients to Look for in a Prenatal?
Let’s talk a little more about folic acid/folate…
Folic acid, folate, and methylfolate—all of which are included in prenatal vitamins—are all distinct forms of the same vital B vitamin, which plays an important role in avoiding birth abnormalities of the brain and spine, such as spina bifida. Within the first 28 days following conception, the neural tube develops into the baby’s brain and spinal cord.
A neural tube defect occurs when the neural tube does not shut properly during birth. This essential period of fetal development occurs so early in the pregnancy that most women and couples are unaware they are pregnant—yet another reason to start taking a quality prenatal supplement many weeks or months before conception. Folic acid/folate is also required for the synthesis of DNA in red blood cells, the neurological system, and proteins, as well as for cellular development and reproduction.