3 Tips on Choosing a Prenatal Supplement

You've just found out that you're pregnant. Congratulations! There are a lot of decisions that you'll have to make in the coming months, but right now one of the most important things to do is to start taking a prenatal supplement if you haven't been taking one already.

So you go to the store and look at the over-the-counter items. There are so many different options for prenatal supplements! How are you supposed to choose which one to take? Does it even matter which one you take?

The answer is: yes, it does matter which prenatal supplement you take. In this blog post, I'll tell you why it is important to take a prenatal supplement in the first place and then give you some helpful tips to make choosing a good prenatal supplement a breeze!

Why should I take a prenatal supplement?

Vitamins and minerals are essential to many of your body's functions. While a well-balanced diet may provide you with all the vitamins and minerals you need, during pregnancy your body's needs of certain vitamins and minerals increases. It is important that you are consuming enough of these to keep you - and baby! - healthy. Taking a prenatal supplement is a simple way to do this.

3 Tips on Choosing a Prenatal Supplement

1. Choose a supplement that is certified.

Unlike prescription drugs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not verify that over-the-counter supplements actually contain what they say they do on the label or whether they are contaminated with other substances. However, some companies will have their supplement products verified by third-party groups that check if the contents of the supplement reflect what is on the label and whether they are contaminated.

Two credible groups that certify supplements are the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP) and the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF). When looking at supplements, make sure you choose one that has been checked by one of these organizations. Otherwise, there is a chance that the supplement you are taking does not even contain the vitamin or mineral you are taking it for! Supplements that have been checked will have a small badge on the bottle stating "USP Verified" or "NSF Certified".

2. Make sure the supplement contains folic acid.

Folic acid helps to prevent birth defects of the brain and spine that are known are "neural tube defects". This vitamin is important throughout all of pregnancy, but especially at the very start of pregnancy since neural tube defects are most likely to occur within the first four weeks of pregnancy. This is why it is important that any woman who may become pregnant takes a supplement that contains folic acid, since by the time she realizes she is pregnant a lot of important baby development may have occurred already

Make sure that your prenatal supplement contains at least 600 mcg of folic acid.

3. Make sure the supplement contains iron.

Iron is an important mineral that helps your red blood cells carry oxygen. During pregnancy, your total blood volume will increase by about 1.5 liters, which is a significant amount since the average woman has about 5 liters of blood to begin with. If you do not consume enough iron, you may develop anemia, which is an insufficient amount of red blood cells.

Make sure that your prenatal supplement contains at least 27 mg of iron. This is especially important to check if you are taking a prenatal supplement in the form of a gummy, since most of them do not contain iron.

Closing Remarks

There are several other vitamins and minerals that are important in pregnancy. You can find a full list of them on the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' website (look here). However, simply making sure that you are taking a supplement that is certified and that contains adequate amounts of folic acid and iron is a great start to choosing a good prenatal supplement.

References:

• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (2023). Nutrition during pregnancy. https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/nutrition-during-pregnancy

• Chandra, S., Tripathi, A.K., Mishra, S., Amzarul, M., & Vaish, A.K. (2012). Physiological changes in hematological parameters during pregnancy. Indian Journal of Hematology and Blood Transfusion, 28(3), 144-146. doi: 10.1007/s12288-012-0175-6

• Akabas, S.R., Vannice, G., Atwater, J.B., Cooperman, T., Cotter, R., & Thomas, L. (2016). Quality certification programs for dietary supplements. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(9), 1370-1379. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2015.11.003

Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board