What Are The Consequences Of Not Taking Prenatal Vitamins
It is very important to maintain optimal nutrition during pregnancy. Your baby needs enough minerals, vitamins and many other nutrients for a normal development, and you also need these to support your pregnancy. A balanced diet can provide you with good nutrition however, it is far from enough, and you need to take prenatal vitamins. What will happen if you are not taking them?
Prenatal Vitamin Side Effects
Some prenatal vitamins can cause nausea in an already nauseated pregnant woman. If that happens to you, talk to your health care provider. They may be able to prescribe a different kind of prenatal vitamin that you dont have to swallow whole. Options include:
- Chewables
- Liquids
The iron in prenatal vitamins may also make you constipated. If youre constipated it can help to:
- Eat a high-fiber diet
- Exercise if your doctor says its safe for you
- Take a stool softener with your doctors OK
Prenatal Vitamins For Pregnancy
Eating healthy during pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for your baby, but how can you ensure that you’re getting all of the important vitamins and minerals you need? By taking a prenatal vitamin, you can be sure that you are getting all of the nutrients you need for a healthy pregnancy.
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Why Take Prenatal Vitamins Before You Are Pregnant
What is the main reason to start taking prenatal vitamins before getting pregnant? Its for the folate. Folate supports early neural tube development from the time of conception and in the first 3-4 weeks after conception. This important time is when babys brain and spine start to form. Since folate takes some time to build up in the body and since most women dont know theyre pregnant until around 2 weeks after conception , taking folate regularly before pregnancy can help avoid a gap. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that women who could get pregnant should be taking the equivalent of 400 mcg of folate daily.
Another reason to take prenatal vitamins before pregnancy is to start building the habit! Add prenatals into your regimen today, and when youre pregnant it will already be a solid part of your self-care.
Possible Prenatal Vitamins Side Effects
The iron in prenatals can cause constipation, and you may also have low appetite, stomach cramps, dark stools, and diarrhea. You can ease your symptoms by:
- Drinking a lot of fluids.
- Eating more food rich in fiber.
- Getting more physical activity.
Other prenatal vitamins side effects that can appear include:
- Back pain.
- Hives.
- Teeth staining.
Let your doctor know if you are taking pain relievers, heart medications, high blood pressure pills, sulfamethoxazole, or diuretics, as these can have negative interactions with prenate pills. Your healthcare provider can advise you on when to start taking prenatal vitamins.
Now, we can move on to the next section: Do prenatals help you get pregnant? where we will address the following question: Do prenatal vitamins make you fertile? and also discuss when to start taking prenatals.
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Should All Pregnant Women Take Prenatal Vitamins
Proper nutrition is important for your babys health, and your baby depends on you for all of his or her nutritional needs, which includes important vitamins, supplements, and minerals that are necessary for embryonic and fetal development. Ideally, if you eat a healthy diet it should provide all of your growing babys nutritional needs however, doctors recommend taking prenatal vitamins if you are planning to conceive or are already pregnant, for your babys health.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends multivitamin supplements for pregnant women who do not consume an adequate diet. However, your doctor or midwife may still recommend taking them unless your doctor refers you to a nutritionist for a nutritional assessment.
What Is Your Family Health History And Why Is It Important Before You Get Pregnant
Your family health history is a record of any health conditions and treatments that you, your partner and everyone in your families have had. Its a good idea to start putting your family history together before you get pregnant so you can share it with your provider at your checkup. Use the March of Dimes Family Health History Form to gather information.
Your family health history can help your provider:
- Identify health conditions that run in your or your partners family or ethnic group. An ethnic group is a group of people, often from the same country, who share language or culture. Certain genetic conditions, such as sickle cell disease and Tay-Sachs disease, are more common in people from certain ethnic groups. For example, people who are Ashkenazi Jews are more likely than others to have Tay-Sachs and other genetic conditions.
- Find the cause of a condition you had in a past pregnancy. Your provider may use tests like blood tests or ultrasound to help find the cause of the condition. Getting treatment can lower the chances of you having the same complication in your next pregnancy.
- Treat health conditions before pregnancy. Some chronic health conditions can lead to pregnancy problems and, sometimes, birth defects. Getting treatment before pregnancy for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, lupus and PKU can improve your chances of having a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
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Not Having The Right Levels Of Vitamins And Minerals During Pregnancy Can Really Cause Major Issues
Not only could it lead to a harder pregnancy for mum, but it can also cause congenital disabilities on the extreme side and the mild side it can set your baby up for a lifetime of depleted levels themselves.
Prenatal vitamins typically contain more folic acid and iron than do standard adult multivitamins. Heres why:
- Folic acid helps prevent neural tube defects. These defects are serious abnormalities of the brain and spinal cord.
- Iron supports the babys growth and development. Iron also helps prevent anemia, a condition in which blood has a low number of healthy red blood cells.
Not all prenatal vitamins include omega-3 fatty acids, which might help promote a babys brain development. If you dont eat fish or other foods high in omega-3 fatty acids, your health care provider might recommend omega-3 fatty acid supplements in addition to prenatal vitamins.
Prenatal Vitamins Calcium and vitamin D are important as well especially during the third trimester when your babys bones are rapidly growing and strengthening.
It also might be beneficial to look for a prenatal vitamin that contains vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc, iodine and copper.
As Soon As You Find Out Youre Pregnant
If you arent already taking prenatal vitamins, you should start as soon as you get a positive pregnancy sign on that pee stick test.
Your OB-GYN may eventually suggest a specific brand or even offer you a prescription to make your vitamin-popping life easier, but you dont have to wait every day counts when youre in the first trimester .
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Tips For Taking Prenatals
You may wish to take a prenatal multivitamin with food to help keep the tummy settled. Look for products that can be taken on an empty stomach, such as fermented multivitamins.
It also helps to know your habits in order to set yourself up for success. If you always take your vitamins with breakfast once a day, a one-tablet-daily prenatal may be the best choice for you. However, if you like spacing out your vitamins, other prenatal vitamins are designed so that a daily dose is spread out between multiple tablets that can be taken throughout the day.
Its best to listen to your body and notice if your prenatal is causing any queasiness, so then you can adjust from there. These days some prenatal multivitamins are even formulated with tummy-soothing ginger for morning sickness built right in, which can help if youre experiencing pregnancy-related nausea. Your healthcare professional may also have suggestions to help with any queasiness, such as spacing multi-dose vitamins throughout the day or taking with meals or water.
The key thing to remember is that adding a reliable prenatal multivitamin to your day can help maintain solid nutritional foundations. Whether youre planning to be pregnant or already expecting, these supplements offer highly tailored support for this important time in your life.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
- Support
What Are The Side Effects Of Prenatal Vitamins
Most women who take prenatal vitamins as directed by their doctor or midwife experience little or no side effects from prenatal vitamins. The iron in prenatal vitamins may cause constipation, and some women complain of nausea. You also may have diarrhea, dark stools, low appetite, and stomach upset or cramps. Talk with your OB/GYN or midwife about any side effects you have from taking prenatal vitamins.
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More Frequently Asked Questions About Prenatal Vitamins
1. In Which Stage of My Pregnancy Should I Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins?
Its advised you start 3 months before actually getting pregnant, as the egg begins to mature 3 months prior to its release. Defects of the neural tube occur in the first month of gestation, so even if you just suspect that you might be pregnant, don’t wait for the doctor’s appointment to get a prescription for a supplement. Instead, immediately start taking over-the-counter folate.
2. Are All Prenatal Vitamins the Same?
No. Even though the Food and Drug Administration regulates them all, they arent necessarily obligated to have the same ingredients. While some contain a little bit of everything, others dont. Therefore, it’s best you ask your doctor to suggest the one you need.
3. Is It Safe to Take Non-Prescription Prenatal Vitamins?
Non-prescription ones are perfectly safe as long as they have a USP seal. If you are having doubts about the safety of a certain supplement, bring the bottle to your doctor.
4. I’ve Discovered That Iodine Is Necessary. Is It Contained in Prenatal Supplements?
It is in some prenatal supplements. However, you can get your daily amount of iodine just from iodized salt alone. During pregnancy, you need 220 micrograms of this mineral a day. Considering that one-half teaspoon of salt has 190 micrograms of iodine, consuming enough of it through food isn’t hard to achieve.
5. Am I Required to Take Supplements If I Am a Vegetarian?
Do You Need Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins are important before and during pregnancy to help your body meet the demands of pregnancy and aid in your babys development, says Dr. Nwankwo. Your balanced diet should be the foundation of your nutritional vitamins. Your body is able to absorb more from your diet than from supplements. However, your prenatal will help fill in the gaps.
A run-of-the-mill multivitamin wont cut it when youre pregnant. Prenatal vitamins are specially designed multivitamins that deliver the extra amounts of nutrients needed during various stages of your babys development. For example, they contain folic acid, which is important for babys brain development in the earliest stages. And many have vitamin D and calcium to build strong bones and teeth during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Plus, prenatal vitamins help make sure you have enough nutrients such as iron, to not only provide to your baby but so your own body doesnt become depleted.
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Are There Any Extra Benefits
Some celebs swear by prenatals as the secret to their glowing skin and luscious locks because they contain biotin, one of the all-important B vitamins.
And rumors of biotins hair, nail, and skin growth powers have circulated forever many people take biotin supplements for this exact reason.
However, one study after another has failed to prove any significant beauty benefits to taking biotin, leaving the evidence to fall strictly in the anecdotal camp.
Besides biotin, though, there are some extra benefits to prenatals. If you take one with DHA, for example, youll be getting a boost of omega-3 fatty acids that may help your babys brain and eyes develop.
You may also get thyroid-regulating iodine, which can aid in your babys nervous system development.
Finally, theres some research indicating that taking prenatal vitamins may increase your chances of pregnancy.
To be clear, prenatals are not a magic cure for infertility problems and getting pregnant isnt as simple as popping a pill. But many of the nutrients included in prenatal vitamins regulate the body systems responsible for making pregnancy possible.
So taking one when done in conjunction with exercising, eating a healthy diet, and eliminating risk factors like alcohol and drugs can make it easier to get pregnant more quickly.
There are dozens of options out there, but make sure you check for a few key things before buying a prenatal vitamin:
What Do Prenatal Vitamins Do
Prenatal vitamins are designed specifically for the needs of pregnant women. They are full of only the essential vitamins and minerals needed to support the pregnancy and healthy growth of the baby without providing too much or too little of those vitamins and minerals, which can be harmful. They also contain specific vitamins, like the B vitamin folic acid, which help reduce the chances of birth defects.
Prenatal vitamins also support a healthy immune system in the mother whose immune defense is lowered due to the pregnancy. Along with that, they provide energy for the pregnant mother who may feel fatigued during much of the pregnancy.
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Do Prenatals Help You Get Pregnant
If youre wondering when to start taking prenatals and whether they can boost your fertility, read on. Youll find answers to questions like: Do prenatals help you get pregnant? Do prenatal vitamins make you fertile?
Prenate pills do not increase fertility, but they can help you experience a healthy pregnancy and prevent complications.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advice women on when to start taking prenatals. Women who are planning to get pregnant should take their vitamin three months before conception.
Here are the benefits of taking prenatal vitamins before pregnancy:
So, do prenatal vitamins make you fertile? A recent study does mention that vitamin B, folic acid, omega-3 fatty acids and healthy diets may increase fertility, and you can find some of these ingredients in the Conception Fertility Prenatal Vitamins Product.
The Conception Fertility Prenatal Vitamins can help regulate your cycle and prepare your body for pregnancy.
Suppose youre already pregnant and havent been taking prenatals. You can work closely with your doctor so they can advise on when to start taking prenatal vitamins and whether the Conception Fertility Prenatal Vitamins product is right for your body.
What About Other Nutrients
There are other nutrients that may improve the health of your pregnancy. Your doctor can help you decide if you need to take supplements that include:Omega-3 fatty acids: These fats, which include DHA and EPA , come only from food sources such as fatty fish and nuts. Studies show omega-3s can lower your risk of preterm birth and of having a baby with low birth weight. If you dont eat much food thats rich in omega-3s, ask your health care provider if a supplement is right for you.
Choline: Although your body can make some choline on its own, you get most of it from food. Rich sources include beef, pork, chicken, fish, and eggs. Many pregnant women dont get enough choline, which the baby needs for healthy brain growth.
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Can I Take An Over
There’s nothing wrong with taking over-the-counter vitamins as long as they have a USP seal or NSF International certification these organizations monitor supplement quality. “We do have concerns about pills that contain certain herbs and those that may contain too much of a certain nutrient, like vitamin A, which can adversely affect the fetus’ development,” says Ashlesha Dayal, M.D., an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, N.Y. “Take the bottle to your obstetrician to make sure that all the ingredients are safe,” Kukreja adds.
What Are The Different Types Of Prenatal Vitamins
Prenatal vitamins typically contain folic acid , calcium, iron, iodine, zinc, and vitamins A, E, and C. The ingredients in prenatal vitamins vary depending on the product. Your doctor will recommend the right type of prenatal vitamin or prenatal supplement based on your specific needs.
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