When Should You Start Taking Prenatal Vitamins?

When should you probably take prenatal vitamins? For most, it is recommended that you take them on hearing that you are pregnant. In case you are planning to get pregnant then you might consider taking these prenatal vitamins even before getting pregnant. In the present day scenario, most of the people do not fulfill the optimal requirements due to various reasons. The various reasons include poor diet, rushed lifestyle and consumption of processed food. Thus, taking prenatal vitamins should prove helpful for would-be-mothers.

Prenatal vitamin is necessarily a multivitamin formula designed for pregnant women. The multivitamin comes in various formulations, depending on requirements. There are several multivitamins available in the market for teens, women, men, senior citizens and for other special requirements. Prenatal vitamins would contain additional nutritional minerals and vitamins that a woman would probably require for coping with the pregnancy period.

Some women might experience iron deficiency even before pregnancy. It is mainly true that women after they get pregnant, as they are supplying blood not just for themselves but also for the baby. Thus, most of the prenatal vitamins contain some additional iron supplements in order to help prevent a pregnant woman from getting anemic. As the baby is developing inside the womb, the mother will require additional calcium in her daily diet. Development of the skeletal system of baby can steal away traces of calcium from the mother. Lack of calcium supplements in the body could cause an increased chance of stress fracture. However, good prenatal vitamins could allow a flow of additional calcium to the body. Most of the prenatal vitamins include folic acid. Folic acid prenatal is very important during the first stage of the pregnancy period. During the first stage of pregnancy, the baby’s skeleton and the spinal cord will develop. Folic acid will help prevent the various birth defects like spinal bifida.

This does not mean that you take prenatal vitamin as well as other multivitamin supplements. This would only increase the vitamin levels in the body. Thus, it could prove dangerous for the baby as well as the mother. Make sure you have a prescription letter for prenatal vitamins from your doctor. The doctor will provide you with help, as to which prenatal vitamins you should consume and what dosage is suitable for you.

It is important to increase the levels of a few vitamins. However, there are certain vitamins that you should decrease during the pregnancy period. For instance, Vitamin A, Vitamin D and Vitamin K need to consume in lower amounts when compared to non-pregnant women.

Therefore, if you are planning to get pregnant you might consider taking a good prenatal vitamin.