Prenatal Vitamins for Pregnancy – Why They Matter and the Benefits They Offer

Alongside the joyful news that you're going to be a mum, pregnancy also means an additional drain on your body's resources — resources that can become depleted over time. That's why there are many vitamins your doctor may recommend, depending on your circumstances, to support both your baby's development and your own health as a mother. They're known as prenatal vitamins, and in this article we'll talk about why they matter and the benefits they offer you.

What are prenatal vitamins? 

Prenatal vitamins are food supplements with a high content of vitamins and minerals, developed specifically for mums-to-be. Your doctor may recommend prenatal vitamins even before you become pregnant, to prepare your body for a healthy pregnancy.

During pregnancy, it's important to eat as nutrient-rich and balanced a diet as possible. Sometimes, however, the body needs a little help to absorb certain vitamins. The role of supplements is to make up for those nutrients that aren't taken in sufficiently through diet alone.

Unlike other multivitamin preparations, prenatal vitamins contain more folic acid and iron — two essential nutrients during pregnancy. They support your baby's healthy development while also preventing anaemia and reducing the risk of low birth weight.

The most important prenatal vitamins and their benefits 

Vitamin requirements during pregnancy differ from woman to woman. Every woman makes different dietary choices, absorbs nutrients differently and has a different lifestyle. Depending on your state of health and your individual needs, your doctor can give you the appropriate advice on the type and quantity of vitamins you need for a healthy pregnancy.

Below you'll find out which are the most important prenatal vitamins for mums-to-be and what role each one plays:

Vitamin C during pregnancy 

During pregnancy, vitamin C is the key nutrient for maintaining cell health. The dose generally recommended in prenatal vitamin supplements is 80 mg of vitamin C.

It supports gum and bone health, your baby's immune system, iron absorption and collagen formation. Studies also suggest that women who took a vitamin C supplement during pregnancy had a reduced risk of placental abruption.

Vitamin E during pregnancy

Most prenatal vitamin supplements also contain vitamin E, with the general recommendation being 15 mg. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and protects cell membranes; it thereby supports the formation of healthy structures as well as the optimal functioning of the eyes and skin.

Vitamin D during pregnancy

Together with calcium, vitamin D contributes to the development of your baby's skeleton. It also plays an important role in the metabolic processes of the eyes and skin. It's very important to prevent vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy in order to reduce the risk of premature birth, low birth weight or low mineral content in your baby's bones.

Folic acid during pregnancy

Folic acid, also known as vitamin B9, is one of the most important nutrients during pregnancy. The body doesn't build up its own reserves of vitamin B9, so it's important to obtain this vitamin through your diet — and, where diet isn't enough, through supplements.

Folic acid prevents neural tube defects from occurring in the first trimester of pregnancy, when your baby's brain and spinal cord are forming. If you'd like to learn more about how your baby develops: we discussed pregnancy development across the individual trimesters HERE.

In other words, folic acid reduces the risk of malformations. It also helps prevent heart conditions and premature birth, making it crucially important for your baby's healthy development.

A dose of 400 mcg (micrograms) of folic acid is recommended from the family-planning stage onwards, that is, 3 months before you become pregnant.

Calcium during pregnancy 

Calcium shouldn't be missing from vitamin supplements for pregnant women either; the recommended dose is around 1,000 mg. With the help of vitamin D3 it is absorbed, thereby supporting your baby's bone development as well as the bone tissue in the mother's body. If you aren't getting a balanced intake of foods that are naturally rich in calcium or fortified with it, supplements can ensure optimal levels of this nutrient.

What other vitamins and minerals do prenatal supplements contain? 

In addition to the nutrients already mentioned and explained, prenatal vitamin supplements also contain:

• Vitamin A: Also known as retinol, vitamin A is involved in bone development during pregnancy. Its main function, however, is to support vision and skin health.
• Vitamin B6: Contributes to the utilisation of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates and fats) and to the formation of erythrocytes (red blood cells).
• Vitamin B12: As well as supporting the formation of erythrocytes, it also aids the development of the nervous system.
• Iron: Contributes to the development of the placenta and the baby, while also helping the body produce the blood needed to carry oxygen to your baby. Iron also helps prevent anaemia during pregnancy.
• Zinc: Involved in the development of the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems, as well as in several metabolic processes.
• Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B7 and B9
• Magnesium
• Selenium
• Iodine
• Fluoride
• Phosphorus
• Sodium
• Potassium
• Copper

Omega-3 fatty acids also play an important role in the development of a child's brain. These aren't found in prenatal vitamin supplements but in foods such as oily fish. If you can't get enough omega-3 through your diet, talk to your doctor about a separate supplement you can take alongside your prenatal vitamins.

How do you choose the right vitamins for your pregnancy?

Prenatal vitamins are available from the pharmacy without a prescription, but it isn't advisable to take them without consulting your doctor. Every woman's needs are unique — and so is every pregnancy.

It's wise to see a doctor to assess and discuss your individual needs and to draw up a suitable plan for taking your vitamins.

Prenatal vitamins – how to take them 

Ideally, you should start taking prenatal vitamins immediately after conception, that is, from the beginning of your pregnancy, on your specialist's recommendation. Folic acid is recommended even earlier, a few months before pregnancy. So if you're tracking your fertile days and hoping to conceive, you can already talk to your doctor about taking vitamin B9.

Statistics also show that around 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned, arising because the calendar method or another form of contraception didn't work. For this reason, all women of childbearing age are advised to take 400 mcg of folic acid daily.

If needed, prenatal vitamins can also be continued during breastfeeding, as many nutrients pass into breast milk and are thus passed on to your baby.

How long before conception should you start taking prenatal vitamins? 

Taking folic acid is recommended around 3 months before pregnancy. Your baby's neural tube forms in the very first months, and you may not notice the first signs of pregnancy straight away.

If you aren't yet taking folic acid at that point, complications can arise. If you start a few months beforehand, your body has enough time to make use of it and to support your baby's harmonious development right from the start.

How long should you take prenatal vitamins?

Prenatal vitamins are taken on your doctor's recommendation — from (or even before) the point of conception and throughout the whole of your pregnancy, to give your body the complex of vitamins and minerals it needs to support the months of pregnancy.

If you're breastfeeding, your doctor may advise you to carry on taking the vitamins during the period after birth as well.

Prenatal vitamins – possible side effects

On the whole, prenatal vitamins have a great many benefits. Even so, there are cases where side effects can occur, such as nausea. This happens mainly when the vitamins have been taken a long while apart from meals; in this case, symptoms may improve if you take the vitamins with food.

Iron can also cause constipation as a side effect, which can be prevented by a balanced intake of fluids and fibre, enough daily physical activity and sometimes also by mild laxatives recommended by your doctor.

It's also very important to take the mother's diet into account when choosing prenatal vitamins. If you eat a balanced diet and meet your daily requirement for vitamins and minerals through food alone, with no deficiency, you may not need a multivitamin supplement, just the essential nutrients.

Always talk to your doctor so you can choose the approach that best suits your needs.

Vitamins during pregnancy – arguments FOR and AGAINST 

Ideally, a balanced diet should provide the daily intake of vitamins and minerals the mother's body needs during pregnancy. In reality, though, that isn't always the case. Prenatal vitamins are an effective solution for avoiding deficiencies and the problems that come with them.

Negative effects such as nausea or constipation can indeed occur. Another drawback: because of their high nutrient content, the tablets can be fairly large and difficult to swallow for women who are already suffering from nausea. If this is a problem for you, you can switch to lower-dose, smaller tablets taken twice a day. There are also alternatives in the form of jellies or liquids — so always discuss any unwanted effects with your doctor.

Overall, however, pregnancy vitamins are very often beneficial, as they support your baby's healthy development and help the mother's body through the months of pregnancy. Many studies have shown that taking folic acid, vitamin D and other nutrients before pregnancy even begins significantly reduces the risk of malformations, premature birth, low birth weight, allergies and other health problems after your baby is born.