Vitamin A Safety in Prenatal Vitamins

Is vitamin A safe for pregnant women? Should I avoid prenatal vitamins that contain it? These are some of the most common questions asked by those who are expecting. The confusion related to this topic is justified because of media reports, so we will explore these reports here and clarify them for you so that you can have the information you need to make the best choice for you. Of course, when in doubt, always talk to your health care provider first.

Where Does the Confusion Come From?

Well, there is a theory floating around that vitamin A could be downright dangerous for pregnant women. Then, there is another theory floating around that pregnant women simply do not need to worry about their vitamin A level, and therefore, do not need to take any.

Are There Any Studies to Back Up Such Theories?

Sort of. In 1995, the New England Journal of Medicine had a study in it that showed that 1.7 percent of women who were pregnant and took in more than 10,000 IUs of vitamin A each day during their initial seven weeks went on to have a baby with a birth defect of some kind. Please keep the "1.7 percent" and the "more than 10,000 IUs" figures in mind here. Naturally, this incited some fear.

Here is the thing, the National Institutes of Health recommends recommends 2,310 IUs per day for women and 2,565 IUs per day for pregnant women. So, as you can see, 10,000 IUs is really, really high and unless someone is really trying hard, they are not going to consistently get that much vitamin A in a day. If you were using retinol, talk to your doctor before getting pregnant to avoid the issue of too much vitamin A during pregnancy.

Vitamin A is Not Evil

In fact, your baby needs vitamin A as he or she is growing in your uterus. Of course, your baby does not need anywhere near 10,000 IUs, but the National Institutes of Health recommendation is what you should be going for. Vitamin A deficiency in infants and children can lead to blindness and it is estimated that a deficiency in this vitamin has caused approximately 13.8 million children throughout the world to experience vision loss to some degree. Remember when your mom told you to eat your carrots to keep your eyes healthy? This is why. Carrots contain carotenoids and carotenes (natural pigments) and these are converted to vitamin A.

Resources

National Institutes of Health: Vitamin A and Carotenoids