What Are Prenatal Vitamins?

Updated May 19, 2023

When you’re pregnant woman, you might joke that you’re “eating for two”. While it may not technically be true (it’s more like eating for one-and-a-half), pregnant people do need some extra nutritional reinforcements to carry and nourish a growing baby (while keeping themselves well-nourished, too). Want to know one of the best ways to pack in that nutrition?

Taking prenatal vitamins.

So, what are prenatal vitamins? Put simply, prenatal vitamins are a daily supplement formulated to help pregnant people maintain the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients their body needs. Although prenatals are not a replacement for a nutritional and healthy diet, they still provide many benefits for a healthy pregnancy—and even before conception.

In this guide, we’ll answer everything you want to know about starting a prenatal vitamin routine, including what do prenatal vitamins contain, what should you look for in prenatal vitamins, and why you should take them.

What do prenatal vitamins contain?

Like multivitamins, prenatal vitamins have no standard formula. Some may only contain pregnancy-specific nutrients, while others may also contain additional nutrients, such as vitamin C and zinc. The right formula will depend on your personal health needs, medical history, and lifestyle choices.

Common Prenatal Nutrients

During pregnancy, your body’s needs shift. All of a sudden, you’re in charge of growing a tiny human inside of you—and that job requires a few particular nutrients.

In most prenatal supplements, you’ll find these key nutrients that medical experts recommend to support a growing baby:

• Folic acid – Folic acid is the centerpiece of all prenatal nutrition. This nutrient protects against defects of the heart and neural tube (the early beginnings of your baby’s brain and spine). According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, pregnant women should take at least 600 milligrams (mg) of folic acid per day, about 200 mg more than non-pregnant women.
• Iron – During pregnancy, your body requires twice as much iron than usual. This is because your body must boost its red blood cell count to deliver adequate oxygen to your little one. Medical experts recommend pregnant women get 27 mg of iron per day (a full 9 mg more than non-pregnant women).
• Calcium – Your baby needs calcium to grow their bones and teeth. Calcium supplementation also supports your baby’s heart, muscle, and nerve development. Pregnant women are advised to meet the 1,000 mg of calcium per day requirement recommended to all women.
• DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) – This particular omega-3 fatty acid (which can be found in foods like salmon and walnuts) aids fetal growth and development of the brain, eyes, and heart.

Other Prenatal Nutrients

Almost all expectant mothers need the above four essential nutrients. However, a prenatal vitamin may also contain other vitamins or minerals that support both you and your growing baby.

Some of these key nutrients and their recommended daily allowances for pregnant women include:

• Vitamin B6 (1.9 mg) – Red blood cell formation; metabolism support
• Vitamin C (85 mg) – Gum, teeth, and bone development; iron absorption
• Choline (450 mg) – Neural tube, brain, and nervous system development
• Zinc (11 mg) – Preterm birth prevention; immune system function
• Vitamin B12 (2.6 μg, a.k.a. micrograms) – Red blood cell formation; nervous system health
• Vitamin D (15 μg) – Calcium absorption for healthy bones and teeth
• Iodine (200 μg) – Fetal brain development

Why should I take a prenatal vitamin?

When you’re pregnant, the importance of nutrition significantly increases. Avoiding deficiencies by maintaining adequate nutrient levels with a prenatal vitamin not only keeps you healthy, but also supports your baby’s development and may even help prevent certain health risks during delivery.

Let’s break down the specific benefits of prenatal vitamins for both mom and baby, below.

Prenatal Vitamin Benefits for Moms

According to research, prenatal vitamins could help pregnant woman with:

• Vitamin deficiencies, like anemia – Since pregnancy doubles your iron needs, nearly 40% of pregnant women end up with an iron deficiency anemia. Unfortunately, prenatal anemia correlates with low birth weight, congenital defects, birth risks, and fetal anemia. Taking a prenatal vitamin that contains iron can help prevent anemia in both you and your child.
• Gestational diabetes – Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the development of diabetes in pregnant women with no former diabetes diagnosis, with links to both maternal and fetal morbidity. Supplementation of vitamins and minerals (such as zinc, calcium, and vitamin D) can significantly improve GDM symptoms. Additionally, vitamin D and probiotic supplementation could reduce the risk of developing GDM.
• Delivery risks – Common delivery risks, such as preeclampsia (rapidly rising blood pressure during delivery) and maternal stroke, could possibly be prevented with adequate nutrition. One study found that adequate folic acid-iron intake reduced the risk of postpartum hemorrhaging and puerperal sepsis. Other studies found that calcium and DHA supplementation could lower the risk for preeclampsia.
• Immune support – During pregnancy, your body’s immune system changes to prevent a detrimental immune system response to the foreign lifeform that’s suddenly invaded your uterus. While this change helps protect your baby, it puts you at a higher risk for infections like pneumonia or urinary tract infections. Nutrients like vitamin C and D can help support your immune system so that your body can stay healthy for both you and your little one.

Prenatal Vitamin Benefits for Babies

When you’re pregnant, you aren’t only one receiving the nutrients you ingest. All of your nutritional and supplemental intake affects your baby as well—and it can even shape their future health.

In fact, according to research, a prenatal vitamin could help your baby with:

• Fetal nervous system development – The neural tube, or the start of your baby’s brain and spine, starts developing in the first month of pregnancy. Taking a folic acid supplement is shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida (an underdeveloped neural tube) and anencephaly (reduced brain growth). For this reason, medical experts recommend starting a prenatal vitamin before you actually conceive.
• Placenta development – As your baby grows, the placenta becomes its home. The placenta surrounds your baby like a sack inside the uterus, providing the nutrients and oxygen it needs to survive. To grow a healthy placenta, adequate vitamin D and iron levels are necessary, creating a 26% lower risk of placental abruption (a condition that occurs when the placenta separates from the uterus).
• Fetal birth weight – A low birth weight is connected to a range of health issues, from jaundice to bacterial infection. Prenatal nutrients can prevent a low fetal birth weight. In fact, one study found that birth weight was significantly higher among mothers who took an iron-folic acid supplement.
• Fetal organ development – Nutrients are the building blocks of your growing baby, from their heart to their lungs. According to multiple studies, a prenatal vitamin can lower the risk of heart defects and underdeveloped body parts. These nutrients can also help prevent development-related fetal conditions, like asthma, rickets, or hypothyroidism.

What’s the difference between prenatal vitamins and multivitamins?

If you already take a multivitamin, you might wonder—is a prenatal vitamin really necessary?

While similar, prenatal vitamins and regular multivitamins have a few key differences. And for pregnant women, those key differences make, well…all the difference. To start, almost all prenatal vitamins possess these distinct qualities:

• Folic acid at an RDI for pregnant women (600 mg)
• Iron levels at an RDI for pregnant women (27mg)
• Various nutrients at RDIs for pregnant women

In comparison, a multivitamin will have lower amounts of folic acid and iron. A multivitamin will also include more daily vitamins and minerals than a prenatal supplement, such as selenium or vitamin K. If your prenatal supplement only contains folic acid and iron, it’s highly recommended you combine it with a regular multivitamin to obtain these additional essential nutrients.

However, as of now, vitamin supplements (including prenatal vitamins) aren’t regulated by the FDA. Some formulas available on the market may be more beneficial than others. Before introducing a new supplement to your routine, consider consulting with a healthcare professional to evaluate your options.

What should I look for in a prenatal vitamin?

A prenatal vitamin can be a smart addition to an expecting mother’s health and wellness routine. However, not all prenatal vitamins are created equal. So, how can you know which prenatal vitamin is right for you?

For starters, consider the idea that the best way to meet your nutritional needs during pregnancy is to soak in necessary nutrients through food sources rather than oral supplements, as the body absorbs nutrients more efficiently this way. So, as an example, you may be able to meet your recommended intake of DHA by upping your consumption of seafood and fatty fish, like salmon, sea bass, and herring.

In fact, in many cases, pregnant women eating a well-balanced diet may only need to bulk up on two nutrients through supplementation: vitamin D and folic acid.

That said, prenatal vitamins can also be a wonderful tool for correcting any nutritional deficiencies that could impact fetal health. To best support your pregnancy, consider these factors when choosing a prenatal supplement:

• Ingredients – Typically, healthcare experts recommend all pregnant women take folic acid, iron, calcium, and DHA. However, prenatal vitamins can also contain many other ingredients, from vitamin A to zinc. If you don’t take a daily multivitamin, you may need a prenatal supplement that provides other necessary nutrients, such as choline, B vitamins, and vitamin D.
• Medical history – The right prenatal supplement for you might depend on your medical history and other personal factors, such as past pregnancies (birth defects, conditions, etc.), gestational diabetes, diet, and lifestyle choices.
• Pregnancy stage – Are you just in the planning stages, or has your baby bump already started peeking through? Depending on what stage of pregnancy you’re in, you may have different nutritional needs. While folic acid is crucial from the start, your body may need more iron, calcium, and vitamin D over the course of your pregnancy.

Once you’ve considered these factors, you’ll be better equipped to discuss your best options with your healthcare provider and determine which prenatal vitamin is right for you.

Define Your Prenatal Wellness with SneakPeek

No matter your medical history or pregnancy stage, it’s never a bad idea to focus on your prenatal health. Taking charge of your own wellness with the right prenatal vitamins and pregnancy workouts like prenatal yoga, can help you feel confident while traveling down this new road—and SneakPeek is ready to provide more confidence along the way.

With SneakPeek’s Prenatal Vitamin D At-Home Test, you can evaluate your levels of vitamin D and compare them against your exact pregnancy stage. Every test is screened by our CLIA-certified lab and reviewed by board-certified physicians for accuracy. Even better? We’ll deliver your results the very next day through a downloadable report so that you can share them with your doctor immediately. Stay tuned because we’re releasing this test soon. In the mean time, we also have an at-home gender blood test available.

Join the over 1 million parents who trust SneakPeek test, and start your journey toward an empowered and informed pregnancy.

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