Optimizing your nutrition before you get pregnant can set you up for a healthier pregnancy and prepare your body to grow a tiny human. Your provider or midwife may have suggested eating well, exercising, and taking a multivitamin supplement to get ready. But do you need to seek out a prenatal-specific vitamin? There are so many on the market, and they can be quite expensive, so let’s break down what you really need while TTC.
Trying to conceive? What you should know about prenatal vitamins
Getting all the nutrients we need from the food we eat should be possible, but during pregnancy, there can be gaps that even the most careful person can’t avoid. According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the U.S. population generally does not meet daily requirements for many nutrients.
Let’s start with a big one. Folic acid is a water-soluble vitamin that protects against neural tube defects like spina bifida. Getting enough folic acid through supplementation and diet is critical before becoming pregnant and when the neural tube is developing in the early days of pregnancy. Your supplement should have at least 400 mcg of folic acid. You can also consume foods high in folic acid, such as beans, leafy green vegetables, cereals, and enriched or fortified grains. Although you can buy prenatal vitamins that contain “folate,” folic acid is the only supplement that has been researched and shown to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects.
Iron is important for those who plan to become pregnant or who are pregnant. Iron deficiency anemia is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world, and in pregnancy, it can lead to preterm labor, low birth weight, or infant mortality. Unfortunately, getting enough iron from foods can be difficult, so your provider or midwife may suggest taking a supplement while trying to conceive and during pregnancy. Women 19 to 50 years old who are not pregnant need 18 mg of iron per day, and pregnant women need 27 mg per day. Meats, poultry, and fish are good sources of iron, as are many of the foods listed above that are high in folic acid. Having a source of vitamin C can make iron easier to absorb, so consider adding some strawberries to your spinach salad, red bell pepper to your broccoli, or taking your iron supplements with a small glass of orange juice. Iron can be constipating in supplement form, so you may need to experiment with which brand or type works best for you! When you’re ready to start TTC, you can also ask your provider to check your iron levels with a blood count and ferritin level.
Other things to consider
Each woman has individual needs, so talk with your provider or midwife before starting a supplement. You may need additional vitamins or minerals, and your provider can help identify the best options for you based on your health history and available lab work. Folic acid and iron can be found in prenatal vitamins, regular multivitamins, or sold individually. Remember, supplements are meant to do just what they say – supplement our diets. Taking vitamins shouldn’t replace healthy foods in your diet, like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and protein. By enjoying a variety of healthy foods, you can maximize your nutrition and fertility while trying to conceive!
Sources
- Institute of Medicine. Food and Nutrition Board. Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs): Recommended Dietary Allowances and Adequate Intakes, Vitamins Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine, National Academies. Available at: https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/dri-tables-and-application-reports. Accessed May 31, 2017.
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.
- “Neural Tube Defects.” march of dimes. March of Dimes Foundation, April 2016. Last reviewed: February 2022. https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/planning-baby/neural-tube-defects
