What do prenatal vitamins do?

What are prenatal vitamins, you may be asking? The purpose of prenatal vitamins is to give your body the nutrients it requires to support a pregnancy-friendly environment. Depending on your eating habits, obtaining key fertility nutrients isn’t always a sure bet, so prenatal vitamins are designed to bridge those gaps.

Key Components of Prenatal Vitamins

When comparing prenatal vitamins, you’ll notice various options—from formulas to product vehicles (e.g. capsules, gummies, etc.).

Ultimately, when deciding on a prenatal vitamin, you’ll want to look for these essential nutrients:

• Folic acid – Folate, or folic acid, is one of those non-negotiable nutrients you should have in your chosen prenatal vitamin. Folate helps prevent neural tube defects in your developing fetus; it also supports brain and spine development and helps you produce enough red blood cells to carry a baby. Some experts recommend taking a folic acid supplement up to 3 months before you start trying to conceive.
• Iron – Iron is key for both maternal and fetal health. It improves oxygen and nutrient delivery for your growing baby, and it can also help expecting moms feel more energized—and avoid anemia—on the road to their due date.
• Calcium and vitamin D – Calcium and vitamin D are both essential (paired and separately!) for strong bone and muscular development. Supplementation has proven supportive both during pregnancy and after babies are born. Some studies indicate that women with a vitamin D deficiency may be less likely to conceive, so meeting your daily needs (10 mcg daily) may help bolster your fertility.
• Omega-3 fatty acids – They’re not universal across formulas, but some prenatal vitamins contain omega-3 fatty acids—specifically, the omega-3 known as DHA. Some evidence suggests these can play a key role in enhancing fertility, including the quality of your ovarian reserve, as well as promoting fetal brain development.
• Iodine – Like DHA, iodine supports fetal brain development. In particular, maintaining adequate iodine levels supports the thyroid gland in both mother and baby. During pregnancy, your thyroid works overtime to support the massive changes your body is going through.

If iodine is included in your supplement of choice, just be sure to consult with your doctor to ensure you don’t exceed daily quotas. Iodine is often retrieved from food sources, and having too much could harm your and your baby’s thyroid balance.

How do prenatal vitamins enhance fertility?

Balanced nutrition is considered foundational for preparing your body for pregnancy. In fact, people who don’t meet their daily recommended amounts of certain vitamins have a higher risk of pregnancy complications, as well as adverse infant health outcomes.

Supplementation is recommended for pregnant women because certain key nutrients can easily be depleted from the bloodstream during pregnancy. Key nutrients to support a healthy pregnancy include:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin K
• Vitamin B1
• Vitamin B3
• Vitamin B5
• Vitamin B6
• Vitamin B12
• Folate
• Biotin

Rounding out your prenatal nutritional profile may help stabilize your hormones and cycles. It can also improve the biological environment in which your baby will grow. With an adequate and steady supply of necessary nutrients, your body will have the building blocks to support your physical health, as well as your baby’s. Ask your doctor about which pre-conception and pregnancy supplements you should be taking.

How to Choose the Best Prenatal Vitamin

A cursory search of “best prenatal vitamin” is bound to turn up an overwhelming number of options. These tips can help you cut through the noise and find the best choice for you.

#1 Assess Your Diet and Fill In The Gaps

No two people have identical eating habits, so it’s important to take an honest look at your patterns to see where you may need some extra help.

Some questions you might ask yourself include:

• Am I vegan or vegetarian? – Plant-based diets tend to exclude animal-derived nutrients like iron or DHA that are recommended for supplementation by pregnant people. In this case, you’ll want to ensure your prenatal vitamin contains those compounds.
• Do I have any allergies or food restrictions? – Depending on their formulation, some prenatal vitamins can contain trace amounts of common allergens like soy, gluten, and so on. Be sure to conduct research on your brand of choice to ensure their prenatal vitamin won’t trigger an adverse reaction.
• Do I have any preexisting medical conditions? – Living with a condition like anemia or diabetes can impact your overall pregnancy journey, as well as which nutrients you’re especially in need of. For instance, thyroid conditions demand you maintain sufficient levels of iodine (fortunately, a common addition to many prenatal vitamin formulas).
• Do I follow another specific diet? – From low-carb diets to keto health kicks, certain food plans may help you reach your health goals, but they can limit your access to some nutrients. If you’re a strict adherent, they might even cut out certain macronutrients that are crucial during pregnancy—like carbs—entirely.

It’s a good idea to work with your physician or OBGYN to ensure your diet doesn’t conflict with your growing baby’s (and body’s) needs. From there, you can choose a prenatal multivitamin that fulfills your prenatal nutrition profile.

#2 Read Your Labels Carefully

In addition to addressing your unique dietary needs, be sure to vet your formula labels to ensure you’re getting key nutrients. The recommended amounts for pregnant people are:

• Vitamin A – 770μg/day
• Vitamin D –15μg/day
• Vitamin E – 15μg/day
• Vitamin K – 90μg/day
• Vitamin B1 –1.4μg/day
• Vitamin B2 – 1.4μg/day
• Vitamin B3 – 18μg/day
• Vitamin B6 – 1.9μg/day
• Vitamin B9 – 600μg/day
• Vitamin B12 – 2.6μg/day
• Vitamin C – 85μg/day
• Calcium – 1000μg/day
• Iodine – 220μg/day
• Iron – 27μg/day
• Magnesium – 350μg/day
• Phosphorus – 700μg/day
• Selenium – 60μg/day
• Zinc – 11μg/day

Importantly, some of your nutritional content will also be derived from food. Working with your healthcare provider can help ensure you don’t exceed the daily recommended intakes during pregnancy and lactation. You can also work with them to make a plan for nutritional content while trying to conceive.

#3 Get Your Doctor’s Green Light

Once you’ve landed on a brand you trust that meets your unique nutritional requirements, run your choice by your doctor. You want to make sure you have their go-ahead before you integrate it into your routine.

Remember, supplements aren’t vetted by the FDA—even those designed for pregnant people or people trying to conceive. Fortunately, two third-party certifiers may be helpful in identifying reliable products:

• NSF International
• USP, or the United States Pharmacopeial Convention

More Ways to Potentially Boost Your Fertility

If you’re trying to optimize your chances of conception, these suggestions can help:

• Track your ovulation cycles – Knowing when you ovulate helps you identify your fertile window, the roughly five-day period when you’re most likely to conceive. You can track your ovulation patterns by monitoring your basal body temperature or using an ovulation predictor kit to pinpoint your most fertile periods.
• Reduce your stress levels – Scientists aren’t quite sure about the exact connection between stress and fecundity, but research demonstrates a correlative relationship between high stress levels and difficulty getting pregnant. If stress is a significant part of your or your partner’s day-to-day, it’s worth finding ways to decompress and take some burdens off your plate.
• Aim for healthy weight maintenance – Being either overweight or underweight can interfere with healthy hormonal cycles and, ultimately, your ability to conceive. It’s best to speak with your doctor before trying to lose or gain weight to ensure you do so healthily. Monitoring your weight and diet can be an essential part of improving egg quality, in turn leading to more viable chances of pregnancy.
• Avoid tobacco and alcohol – Both tobacco and alcohol can negatively impact fertility on several fronts. Tobacco use can injure both female and male fertility by interfering with healthy hormonal cycles and reproductive function. Though the verdict on alcohol is still murky, some evidence suggests that drinking alcohol can make it more difficult to conceive. Ultimately, if you’re aiming for a baby, it’s best to retire tobacco use entirely and consider limiting or avoiding alcohol.

Whether you’re trying for a baby or are already pregnant, prenatal vitamins and nutrition are just one variable in the total picture of your fertility. Being aware of habits to avoid and signs of poor egg quality will help you and your healthcare provider make a plan to support your fertility. With a conscious approach and a bit of patience, you can feel emotionally prepared and physically nourished for the journey of parenthood ahead. With SneakPeek®, you can feel supported throughout your reproductive journey.

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