Prenatal Vitamins vs Multivitamins: Experts Reveal What Women Need

While you may have seen multiple women, who are not pregnant, taking prenatal vitamins to improve their skin, hair and nail quality, experts say you should steer clear and only stick to multivitamins to ensure your body stays healthy all-year round. Prenatal vitamins are daily supplements for women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant. These supplements contain the vitamins and minerals you need to support healthy fetal development, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Dr Rohan Palshetkar, Consultant IVF Specialist, Bloom IVF tells Healthandme: ""Prenatal vitamin should be taken three months at least prior to the pregnancy or basically whenever you begin to start planning the pregnancy, ensure that all your micro nutrients as well as your folic acid levels are up to the normal mark so as to ensure that your baby has a healthy growth"But when your body doesn't need it, taking supplements could put you at risk over time.Which Vitamins And Minerals Are Prenatal Vitamins Rich In?As per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), here are the most important nutrients prenatal vitamins are packed with:Folic Acid: One of the most important prenatal nutrients, this B vitamin is important as it creates your baby's neural tube. This is the structure that eventually forms brain. As per the US Preventive Services Task Force, folic acid supplements significantly increase the growth of healthy neural tube. The American Academy of Pediatrics also notes that it helps the neural tube to protect from defects by 50 percent. Iron: It supplies blood and oxygen to the fetus and also helps build the placenta. It also gives the mother extra blood volume that you need throughout pregnancy. Pregnant people are prone to anemia, this is why iron supplementation is a must.Calcium: The most time spend in uterus for a baby is invested in building their bones and teeth, this is a Herculean task, and requires the mother to have plenty of calcium. If you don't have enough calcium, then your baby will utilise the calcium from your body, which could lead to temporary bone loss.Certain prenatal supplements also contain other additives such as omega-3 fatty acids. Why Is It Dangerous To Take Prenatal VitaminsThe main difference between a prenatal vitamin and a multivitamin is the concentration of folic acid and iron.Ingesting enough folate from food or folic acid from supplements at the start of a pregnancy lowers the risk of certain birth defects. Along with this, iron supplements help the body make the extra blood cells needed during pregnancy.The amount of folic acid suggested for people who are planning a pregnancy is 400 to 800 micrograms (mcg) a day. The amount of iron needed in pregnancy is 27 milligrams (mg) a day.The typical amount of folic acid for an non-pregnant adult is 400 mcg a day. For iron, the typical daily amount is 8 mg for males and 18 mg for females.Taking iron and folic acid at levels higher than the suggested amounts may bump people closer to the upper limit for these nutrients which can raise the risk of health problems. Taking too much folic acid, especially over 1,000 mcg daily without a doctor's advice, can mask a vitamin B12 deficiency, potentially causing irreversible nerve damage and may lead to side effects such as bitter taste, nausea or sleep problems, with potential links to increased risks in pregnancy like autism or insulin resistance. Eating too much iron, especially from supplements, can cause acute iron poisoning, leading to severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea and bloody stools. Long-term excessive intake causes iron to deposit in tissues, causing iron overload (hemochromatosis) that damages the liver (cirrhosis), heart (failure), and pancreas (diabetes) and may cause a bronze skin color.

Prenatal Vitamins vs Multivitamins: Experts Reveal What Women Need

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Prenatal Vitamins vs Multivitamins: Experts Reveal What Women Need