Choosing the Right Prenatal Supplement to Meet Nutritional Needs

Choosing the right prenatal supplements can be tough. As an expecting mom, you want to do what is right for your baby. At the same time, you are battling morning sickness, fatigue, and hormones that are raging. Large prenatal vitamins can make you gag, especially in early pregnancy. Taking no vitamins or supplements at all can leave you and your baby without essential nutrients like folic acid. To make things more complicated, consulting with your doctor about prenatal vitamins or folic acid in early pregnancy may be impossible since most doctors will not even see you until you are 8 to 12 weeks pregnant.

One essential supplement that a new study claims should not be skipped is folic acid. Most doctors will recommend that if you are planning to become pregnant you should begin taking folic acid supplements before you even try to conceive. In a recent article published in the American Journal of Obstectrics and Gynecology, the link between folic acid and one aspect of a healthy pregnancy, avoiding preeclampsia, is explained.

The researchers analyzed data from 2,952 pregnant women. Of these women, ninety-two percent were taking folic acid supplements in the early second trimester. Most were taking multivitamins containing folic acid at a dose of 1.0 mg or higher, but a few were taking folic acid supplements alone. Researchers concluded that taking multivitamins containing folic acid in the second trimester is associated with reduced risk of preeclampsia.

The study states that even though most of the women were taking a multivitamin containing folic acid during their prenatal care, the focus should be on folic acid. Folic acid is perhaps more important than other vitamins because of the link between folic acid and its ability to potential reduce the risk of developing preeclampsia. There is no similar link between other vitamins and preeclampsia. Furthermore, in two other trials published in Lancet and the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers found that high doses of vitamins C and E administered during pregnancy without folic acid did not protect women from preeclampsia.

However, researchers do not go so far as to suggest that women should not be taking a multivitamin. Vitamins such as B6 may also play a role in the prevention of preeclampsia.

Whether you are trying to get pregnant or currently expecting, consider choosing a multivitamin or folic acid supplement that is easy to swallow and economical. In addition, look at the product information carefully to ensure that the supplements you are purchasing conform to the Dietary Reference Intake (DRI) table for vitamins published by the National Academy of Sciences and available on the United States Department of Agriculture website. According to the DRI table, the recommended daily allowance of folate or folic acid is 400 micrograms per day. For women who are capable of becoming pregnant, the DRI recommends that you take a supplement or eat folate-fortified foods in addition to eating a balanced diet. The recommendation is based on research linking folic acid intake with neural tube defects in a developing fetus.

Sources:

American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, "Folic acid supplementation in early second trimester and the risk of preeclampsia," Shi Wu Wen et al.

Lancet, "Vitamins in Pre-eclampsia (VIP) Trial Consortium (Vitamin C and Vitamin E in Pregnant Women at Risk for Pre-Eclampsia (VIP Trial): Randomized Placebo- Controlled Trial," Poston L., et al.

New England Journal of Medicine, "Vitamins C and E and the Risks of Preeclampsia and Perinatal Complications," Rumbold AR, et al.